The Role of Diffusion Weighted MRI in Characterization and Differentiation of Prostatic Diseases

Abstract

Carcinoma of the prostate is an important health problem in men. It is considered as the second most common and frequent cause of cancer-related death in men. Diffusion Weighted MRI of the prostate is a relative new and increasingly used imaging technique. It has the advantage that it provides unique information that reflects tissue cellularity and organization, it can be obtained during a single breath-hold and there is no need to use contrast media during imaging, being simple to process and less technologist training to perform. The ADC maps can also provide quantitative measurements of tissue water diffusivity, which can be used not only for disease assessment, but also for the evaluation of disease response to treatment. In our study we concluded that diffusion weighted MRI sequence with quantitative ADC measurements can be useful in the differentiation between benign and malignant prostatic lesions.