Differentiating Atypical Hemangiomas and Metastatic Vertebral Lesions: The Role of T1-Weighted Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI

Abstract

Background and Purpose Vertebral hemangiomas are benign vascular lesions that are almost always incidentally found in the spine. Their classic typical hyperintense appearance on T1- and T2-weighted MR images is diagnostic. Unfortunately, not all hemangiomas have the typical appearance and can mimic metastases on routine MRI. These are generally referred to as atypical hemangiomas and can result in misdiagnosis and ultimately to additional imaging, biopsy and unnecessary costs. Our objective is to assess the utility of DCE-MRI perfusion in distinguishing vertebral atypical hemangiomas and malignant vertebral metastases. We hypothesize that permeability and vascular density will be increased in metastases compared to atypical hemangiomas. Materials and Methods Consecutive patients from 2011-2015 with confirmed diagnoses of atypical hemangiomas and spinal metastases from breast and lung carcinoma with available DCE-MRI were analyzed. Time-intensity curves were qualitatively compared among the groups. Perfusion parameters, plasma volume (Vp) and permeability constant (Ktrans), were quantified using an extended Toft’s two-compartment pharmacokinetic model. Statistical significance was tested using Mann-Whitney U test. Results Qualitative inspection of DCE-MRI time-intensity curves demonstrated differences in signal intensity and morphology, between metastases and atypical hemangiomas. Quantitative analysis of Vp and Ktrans perfusion parameters showed a significantly higher values in metastatic lesions when compared to atypical hemangiomas (p<0.001). Conclusions Our data demonstrate that Vp and Ktrans perfusion parameters and qualitative inspection of contrast enhancement curves can be used to differentiate atypical hemangiomas from vertebral metastatic lesions. This works highlights the benefits of adding perfusion maps to conventional sequences that can improve diagnostic accuracy.

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