Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90015-1721, USA
Address for correspondence: Shantanu Sinha, Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1721, USA. Voice: 310-825-2320; fax: 310-794-3546.
ssinha{at}mednet.ucla.edu
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 980: 95-115 (2002).
This review is focused on two relatively new developments in
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their application to breast
lesion characterization: diffusion and perfusion MRI. Diffusion
MRI measures the mobility of the water protons and thus provides
a window to tissue microstructure. Perfusion MRI measures the
rate at which blood is delivered to tissue and thus provides
information about microvasculature. Because both tissue structure
and vasculature are likely to change in disease states, measurement
of diffusion and perfusion may have direct physiologic relevance.
This review covers topics related to the imaging sequences,
image analysis, and clinical studies for diffusion and perfusion
breast MRI. Preliminary studies show that the apparent diffusion
coefficient (ADC) is a marker of cell density and can distinguish
malignant from benign lesions. Perfusion MR also shows promise
for breast tumor characterization: malignant tumors have consistently
higher relative tissue blood volumes (rTBV) than normal and
benign tumors. Additional research is required with large patient
cohorts to establish these two techniques on a clinical footing.
