Diffusion-weighted imaging in musculoskeletal radiology-clinical applications and future directions

DOI
Publisher DOI
PubMed ID
26682143
Abstract
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is an established diagnostic tool with regards to the central nervous system (CNS) and research into its application in the musculoskeletal system has been growing. It has been shown that DWI has utility in differentiating vertebral compression fractures from malignant ones, assessing partial and complete tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), monitoring tumor response to therapy, and characterization of soft-tissue and bone tumors. DWI is however less useful in differentiating malignant vs. infectious processes. As of yet, no definitive qualitative or quantitative properties have been established due to reasons ranging from variability in acquisition protocols to overlapping imaging characteristics. Even with these limitations, DWI can still provide clinically useful information, increasing diagnostic accuracy and improving patient management when magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings are inconclusive. The purpose of this article is to summarize recent research into DWI applications in the musculoskeletal system.
Date Issued
2015-10
Publication Type
Article
Subject(s)
Subjects
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)
•
PET/MRI
•
inflammatory conditions
•
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
•
musculoskeletal neoplasms
•
therapy assessment
Language(s)
en
Author(s)
Bhojwani, Nicholas
Szpakowski, Peter
Partovi, Sasan
Grosse, Ulrich
Zipp-Partovi, Lisa
Fergus, Nathan
Kosmas, Christos
Nikolaou, Konstantin
Robbin, Mark R
Additional Credits
Journal
Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery
Publisher
AME Publishing Company
ISSN
2223-4292
Access(Rights)
open.access
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