Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging of the Brain ⅐ 333 DW MR Imaging Characteristics of Various Disease Entities
State of the Art Pamela W. Schaefer, MD Diffusion-weighted MR P. Ellen Grant, MD 1 R. Gilberto Gonzalez,MD, Imaging of the Brain PhD Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging provides image contrast that Index terms: is different from that provided by conventional MR techniques. It is particularly Brain, diffusion sensitive for detection of acute ischemic stroke and differentiation of acute stroke Brain, infarction, 10.781 from other processes that manifest with sudden neurologic deficits. Diffusion- Brain, infection, 10.20 Brain, injuries, 10.41, 10.42 weighted MR imaging also provides adjunctive information for other cerebral dis- Brain, ischemia, 10.781 eases including neoplasms, intracranial infections, traumatic brain injury, and de- Brain, MR, 10.12141, 10.12144 myelinating processes. Because stroke is common and in the differential diagnosis of Brain neoplasms, 10.31, 10.32 most acute neurologic events, diffusion-weighted MR imaging should be considered Sclerosis, multiple, 10.871 an essential sequence, and its use in most brain MR studies is recommended. State of the Art Radiology 2000; 217:331–345 Abbreviations: ADC ϭ apparent diffusion coefficient CSF ϭ cerebrospinal fluid Diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging provides potentially unique DW ϭ diffusion weighted information on the viability of brain tissue. It provides image contrast that is dependent on the molecular motion of water, which may be substantially altered by disease. The 1 From the Neuroradiology Division, method was introduced into clinical practice in the middle 1990s, but because of its Massachusetts General Hospital, GRB demanding MR engineering requirements—primarily high-performance magnetic field 285, Fruit St, Boston, MA 02114-2696.
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