Powered by the tremendous advances in technology over the last few years, MR imaging has the potential to go beyond morphology and provide functional information on organs and tumors. One of the most promising techniques is diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI), which has been routine in brain imaging since the early nineties, and is now applied more and more often in body imaging.
In the last few years, diffusion image quality outside the brain has improved tremendously, as major vendors and many research groups have focused their interest on this technique. While certain clinical applications of DWI – such as tumor detection and characterization – are more or less established and adopted by many academic and non-academic centers, DWI is still in its infancy, and other applications such as diffuse liver and renal disease and tumor treatment response have to be established in larger confirmatory studies.
This book compiles the most recent information on DWI applied to the body by world-renowned experts in the field. The text is divided by organ, thus making it more easily searchable, and will serve beginners as well as more advanced diffusion users.
With this book, hope to attract more researchers into body diffusion imaging, which has enormous potential particularly in oncology.
Contents
1 Basic physical principles of body diffusion-weighted MRI
- In this chapter review the basic physical principals of DWI, emphasizing issues particularly pertinent to body applications. It begin with diffusion NMR physics, covering both the relevant concepts of molecular diffusion and the essential theory for the Stejskal–Tanner pulse sequence. There will consider practical aspects of image acquisition, such as sequence selection and artifact reduction. The analysis of DWI data and an overview of selected important body applications will be discussed.
2 Diffusion-weighted MRI of the liver
- This chapter will discuss the applications of DWI applied for the diagnosis of diffuse and focal liver diseases.
3 Diffusion-weighted MRI of diffuse renal disease and kidney transplant
- In this review, it will discuss the use of DWI for the detection and characterization of diffuse renal disease in native and transplanted kidneys. Renal masses will be discussed in a separate chapter.
4 Diffusion-weighted MRI of focal renal masses
- In this chapter, it provide an overview on diffusion acquisition techniques, current available data, limitations, and future directions applied for the assessment of renal masses. Diffuse renal disease is discussed in a separate chapter.
5 Diffusion-weighted MRI of the pancreas
- DWI acquisition and processing applied to the pancreas
- DWI results in acute and chronic pancreatitis
- Limitations of DWI of the pancreas
6 Diffusion-weighted MRI of the prostate
- Diffusion-weighted contrast methodology
- Utility of prostate DW-MRI in the clinic
- Artifacts and limitations
7 Breast applications of diffusion-weighted MRI
- Breast diffusion acquisition and processing
- Results of breast DWI
- Comparison and combination with conventional sequences and mammography
- Treatment response
- Limitations of breast DWI
8 Diffusion-weighted MRI of lymph nodes
- DWI for lymph node evaluation in the entire body: opportunities and limitations.
9 Diffusion-weighted MRI of female pelvic tumors
- In this chapter, it start by discussing strategies for improving SNR and provide a working protocol for the female pelvis. It will also discuss fusion imaging principles, provide interpretation guidelines, and illustrate potential pitfalls as well as illustrate clinical applications of DW-MRI in women with gynecological malignancies.
10 Diffusion-weighted MRI of the bone marrow and the spine
- In this chapter, it will discuss several specific MRI techniques, which have been used for DWI of bone marrow in general and in particular for the spine. Subsequently, it will give an extensive overview about diffusion studies of the bone marrow and particularly of vertebral compression fractures as well as of the intervertebral disks.
11 Diffusion-weighted MRI of soft tissue tumors
- Diffusion acquisition and processing for assessment of soft tissue tumors
- Limitations of DWI for assessment of soft tissue tumors
12 Evaluation of tumor treatment response with diffusion-weighted MRI
- Monitoring of the treatment response using ADC measurements in animal tumors
- Tumor tissue water ADC and 23Na MRI signal intensity reflects structural post-treatment changes
- Water ADC measurement in liver: applications and challenges
- Monitoring treatment response in human patients
13 Diffusion-weighted MRI: future directions
- In this chapter, it will survey some of the unmet needs of performing DWI in the body in terms of imaging acquisition, data analysis, image interpretation, and clinical translation of the technique. The potential ways in which these challenges could be met will be discusse.
Index
Book Details
- Hardcover: 226 pages
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0521518695
- ISBN-13: 978-0521518697
- Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
List Price: $99.00