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Diffusion weighted imaging in differentiating malignant and benign neuroblastic tumors

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Abstract

Purpose

Our aim was to assess diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) of neuroblastic tumors and whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value may have a role in discrimination among neuroblastoma, ganglioneuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma.

Material and methods

The DWIs (b = 0–800 s/mm2) of 24 children (13 girls, 11 boys) who were diagnosed neuroblastic tumors on histopathological examination (neuroblastoma = 15, ganglioneuroblastoma = 5, ganglioneuroma = 4) were evaluated retrospectively. The ADC maps were performed by drawing freehand ROI on PACS (Sectra Workstation IDS7, Linköping, Sweden).

Results

We observed a significant decrease in ADC value of neuroblastomas 0.869 ± 0.179 × 10−3 mm2/s compared to ganglioneuroblastomas 0.97 ± 0.203 × 10−3 mm2/s and ganglioneuromas 1.147 ± 0.299 × 10−3 mm2/s (p = 0.026). There was no significant difference in between ganglioneuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma (p = 0.16). In detecting neuroblastomas; the sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values of ADC were 74, 67, 78.6, 66 % respectively with a cut-off value of 0.93 × 10−3 mm2/s.

Conclusion

Our study stands out as the most comprehensive study with larger sample size on this topic. Moreover, we are able to suggest a cut-off value which can discriminate neuroblastoma from ganglioneuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma. We believe that ADC will evolve to an objective, quantitative measurement in discrimination among malignant and benign neuroblastic tumors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Bozok University School of Medicine, Yozgat, Turkey

    Halil Ibrahim Serin

  2. Department of Radiology, Pediatric Radiology Section, Erciyes University School of Medicine, Melikgazi, Kayseri, Turkey

    Sureyya Burcu Gorkem, Selim Doganay, Saliha Cıracı & Abdulhakim Coskun

  3. Department of Oncology, Erciyes University School of Medicine, Melikgazi, Kayseri, Turkey

    Ekrem Unal

  4. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Erciyes University School of Medicine, Melikgazi, Kayseri, Turkey

    Mahmut Guzel

  5. Department of Neurosurgery, Erciyes University School of Medicine, Melikgazi, Kayseri, Turkey

    Ahmet Kucuk & Ali Kurtsoy

Authors
  1. Halil Ibrahim Serin
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  2. Sureyya Burcu Gorkem
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  3. Selim Doganay
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  4. Saliha Cıracı
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  5. Ekrem Unal
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  6. Mahmut Guzel
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  7. Ahmet Kucuk
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  8. Ali Kurtsoy
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  9. Abdulhakim Coskun
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Halil Ibrahim Serin or Sureyya Burcu Gorkem.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Serin, H.I., Gorkem, S.B., Doganay, S. et al. Diffusion weighted imaging in differentiating malignant and benign neuroblastic tumors. Jpn J Radiol 34, 620–624 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-016-0565-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-016-0565-z

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