Value of diffusion weighted imaging and its apparent diffusion coefficient in diagnosing benign and malignant thyroid nodules
Objective To investigate the value of magnetic resonance imaging-diffusion weighted imaging(MRI-DWI)and its apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)in diagnosing benign and malignant thyroid nodules(TNs).Methods Preoperative MRI and DWI examination in 40 TNs patients(TNs group)and 15 healthy volunteers(healthy group)were performed.The TNs group was categorized into benign TNs subgroup and malignant TNs subgroup based on the histopathological results.Differences in DWI and ADC at the same b values between groups(diffusion sensitivity factors)were compared,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves for ADC values at different b values in benign and malignant thyroid nodules were plotted.Results Forty TNs patients included 44 benign and 28 malignant nodules.DWI showed a good differentiation between TNs group and healthy group.The difference was not statistically significant in ADC values between healthy group and benign TNs subgroup.ADC values of the same b values were significantly lower in malignant TNs subgroup versus benign TNs subgroup(P<0.001).Conclusion MRI,DWI and ADC have high diagnostic value for benign and malignant TNs