Assessment of paraspinal neurogenic tumors with diffusion-weighted MR imaging

To assess paraspinal neurogenic tumors with diffusion-weighted MR imaging.

Retrospective analysis was done upon 34 patients with paraspinal neurogenic tumors that underwent diffusion-weighted MR imaging. The ADC values of the mediastinal neurogenic tumors were calculated and correlated with biopsy results.

The ADC of benign paraspinal neurogenic tumors (1.5 ± 0.28 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) was significantly higher (P = 0.001) than that of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (0.995 ± 0.198 × 10⁻³ mm²/s). Selection of 1.15 × 10⁻³ mm²/s as a cut-off point for differentiating malignant from benign neurogenic tumors revealed an area under the curve of 0.885, an accuracy of 91.1%, a sensitivity of 90.9%, and specificity of 91.3%. There was significant difference (P = 0.04) in the ADC of schwannomas (1.55 ± 0.29 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) from neurofibromas (1.33 ± 0.08 × 10⁻³ mm²/s). The cut-off ADC value of 1.44 × 10⁻³ mm²/s was used to differentiate schwannomas and neurofibromas with an area under the curve of 0.86, an accuracy of 82.6%, a sensitivity of 100%, and a specificity of 76.5%.

Diffusion-weighted MR imaging is imaging parameter that can be used for differentiation of benign from malignant paraspinal neurogenic tumors.