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OBJECTIVE. Our purpose wasto evaluate therelationships betweentheratioof maxi mum relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) (rCBV ratio = rCBV[tumor] I rCBV[contralat eral white matter]) and histologic and angiographic vascularities of gliomas using the gradient-echo echoplanar MR imaging technique. We also evaluated the usefulness of rCBV maps for grading gliomas. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. We examined 30 patients with histologically verifiedgliomas. Gliomas were classified as glioblastoma, anaplastic glioma with enhancement, ana plastic glioma without enhancement, and low-grade glioma. The maximum rCBV ratio of each glioma was compared with both histologic and angiographic vascularities, and the rela tionship between the maximum rCBV ratios and each type of glioma was established. RESULTS. The maximumrCBV ratiosof thegliomassignificantly correlated with both for low-gradegliomas.The maximumrCBV ratiosofthe glioblastomaswere significantlyhigher than those of the anaplastic gliomas without enhancement (p = .002) and the low-grade gliomas (p < .001). The maximum rCBV ratios of the anaplastic gliomas with enhancement were higher than those of the anaplastic gliomas without enhancement and the low-grade glio mas, but the differences were not statistically significant (p = .08 and p = .03, respectively). CONCLUSION. The resultsof perfusion-sensitive MR imagingwith gradient-echoechoplanar technique correlated with both histologic and angiographic vascularities. [6] reportedthat the degree of vascularity of gliomas observed with a spin echo echoplanar technique correlated well with histologic vascularity and that these re suIts might show the ability of the spin-echo echoplanar technique to detect neovasculariza tion at the capillary level. However, tumor an giogenesis is a complex process, and the existence of larger neovascular structures (such as feeding arteries and draining veins) associated with malignant tumors is not un common. A study documented that some tu mors have average capillary diameters two to three times those of normal tissues [7].The gradient-echo echoplanar technique produces hemodynamic maps by representing theeffectsoftotal bloodvolumefromcapillar ies to large vessels and weighs all vessels ape proximately equally [8]. In addition, this technique, because of its greater sensitivity to

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) has enabled MRI of tissue magnetic susceptibility to advance from simple qualitative detection of hypointense blooming artifacts to precise quantitative measurement of spatial biodistributions. QSM technology may be regarded to be sufficiently developed and validated to warrant wide dissemination for clinical applications of imaging isotropic susceptibility, which is dominated by metals in tissue, including iron and calcium. These biometals are highly regulated as vital participants in normal cellular biochemistry, and their dysregulations are manifested in a variety of pathologic processes. Therefore, QSM can be used to assess important tissue functions and disease. To facilitate QSM clinical translation, this review aims to organize pertinent information for implementing a robust automated QSM technique in routine MRI practice and to summarize available knowledge on diseases for which QSM can be used to improve patient care. In brief, QSM can be generated with postprocessing whenever gradient echo MRI is performed. QSM can be useful for diseases that involve neurodegeneration, inflammation, hemorrhage, abnormal oxygen consumption, substantial alterations in highly paramagnetic cellular iron, bone mineralization, or pathologic calcification; and for all disorders in which MRI diagnosis or surveillance requires contrast agent injection. Clinicians may consider integrating QSM into their routine imaging practices by including gradient echo sequences in all relevant MRI protocols.

The purpose of our study was to investigate whether quantitative diffusion-weighted images (DWI) were useful for monitoring the therapeutic response of primary bone tumors. We encountered 18 osteogenic and Ewing sarcomas. Magnetic resonance (MR) images were performed in all patients before and after therapy. We measured the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and tumor volume of the bone tumors pre- and posttreatment. We determined change in ADC value, change in CNR on T2-weighted images (T2WI), change in CNR on gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd)-T1-weighted images (Gd-T1WI), and change in tumor volume. The bone tumors were divided into two groups: group A was comprised of tumors with less than 90% necrosis after treatment and group B of tumors at least with 90%. Changes in ADC value, tumor volume, and CNR were compared between the groups. Change in the ADC value was statistically greater in group B than that in the group A (p = 0.003). There was no significant difference in the changes in CNR on T2WI (p = 0.683), in CNR on Gd-T1WI (p = 0.763), and tumor volume (p = 0.065). The ADC value on DWI is a promising tool for monitoring the therapeutic response of primary bone sarcomas.

Using a combination of minimum ADCs and ADC difference values (the two-parameter method) facilitates the accurate grading of astrocytic tumors.

Recent technical advances in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) greatly enhanced the clinical value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the body. DWI can provide excellent tissue contrast based on molecular diffusion and may be able to demonstrate malignant tumors. Quantitative measurement of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) may be valuable in distinguishing between malignant and benign lesions. We reviewed DWI and conventional MRI of the female pelvis to study the utility of DWI in patients with gynecological diseases. Although the ADC can help to differentiate between normal and cancerous tissue in the uterine cervix and endometrium, its utility may be limited by the large overlap of the uterine myometrium and ovaries. On the other hand, the ADC may be useful for monitoring the therapeutic outcome after uterine arterial embolizati (UAE), chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. In patients with ovarian cancer, DWI demonstrates high intensity not only at the primary cancer site but also in disseminated peritoneal implants. When added to conventional MRI findings, DWI and ADC values provide additional information and DWI may play an important role in the diagnosis of patients with gynecological diseases.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Although the prognostic value of perfusion MR imaging in various gliomas has been investigated, that in high-grade astrocytomas alone has not been fully evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively whether the tumor maximum relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) on pretreatment perfusion MR imaging is of prognostic value in patients with high-grade astrocytoma.

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