Ettore Squillaci MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Guglielmo Manenti MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Marco Carlani MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Mauro Di Roma MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Roberto Miano MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Giovanni Simonetti MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Purpose: The aim of this study was to measure the ADC values in the central and peripheral zone of the prostate for both normal subjects and patients groups and to test these values as differentiating parameters between healthy and malignant tissue.

Materials and methods: 10 healthy volunteers (mean age 42 years) and 15 patients (mean age 61 years) with histologically proven prostate cancer were studied with axial and coronal TSE T2 and axial T1-weighted images with 5 mm thickness and 1 mm intersection gap covering the entire gland by using a 1.5 T MR scanner with a pelvic phased-array multi-coil. Diffusion-weighted (DW) images were obtained in the axial plane with a SE EPI single shot sequence, with a b value 500 s/mm2. Sixteen slices were produced with slice thickness of 5 mm and interslice gap of 1 mm. ADC (apparent diffusion coefficient) map was obtained at each slice position on focal areas of hypointensity relative to surrounding parenchyma. The ADC was measured in an approximately 8 pixels ROI within the cancer and in the peripheral zone or benign tissue in the central and peripheral zones.

Results: In the healthy volunteers the mean ADC values were 1.95 x 10-3 mm2/s ± 0.44 and 1.57 x 10-3 mm2/s ± 0.31 for the peripheral and the central zone respectively. Significant overlap exist between individual values among all tissue types. The mean value of the ADC was lower in the malignant peripheral zone tissue (1.25 x 10-3 mm2/s ± 0.52) than in the non-cancerous peripheral zone tissue (1.88 x 10-3 mm2/s ± 0.53). The ADC values were higher in the non cancerous peripheral zone than in healthy or benign prostatic hyperplasia central gland region (1.56 x 10-3 mm2/s ± 0.35 ).

Conclusion: ADC values may predict malignancy in the prostate. Further studies are needed to investigate anisotropic properties of prostatic tissue and correlation with histology and grading.

Squillaci, E, Manenti, G, Carlani, M, Di Roma, M, Miano, R, Simonetti, G, Measurement of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in Normal and Malignant Prostatic Tissues Using Echo-Planar Imaging.  Radiological Society of North America 2004 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 28 - December 3, 2004 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2004/4404234.html