initial b values on stretched-exponential model (SEM) diffusion-weighted imaging parameters of prostate cancer.
Methods:
Thirty-nine patients with prostate cancer performed 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans with multiple
b
value (0
300
600
900
1 200
2 000 s/mm
2
) DWI. Parameters
including apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)
distributed-diffusion coefficient (DDC)
and intravoxel heterogeneity index (
)
were calculated using protocols A-D (
b
value ranges: A 0
300
1 200
2 000 s/mm
2
; B 0
600
1 200
2 000 s/mm
2
; C 0
900
1 200
2 000 s/mm
2
; D 0
300
600
900
1 200
2 000 s/mm
2
). For each tissue [peripheral zone (PZ) and cancer]
parameters were compared across protocols with paired t test. In each protocol
each parameter was compared between cancer and PZ tissues using one-way analysis of variance. The diagnostic efficacy was evaluated by area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).
Results:
The ADC
DDC values varied in different protocols
but did not affect the diagnosis performance. The
value of cancer in protocol A was higher than PZ tissues
but in other protocols
values of PZ tissues were higher than cancer (
P
<0.05). The AUC of
value in protocols A
B (0.91 and 0.91) to differentiating PZ tissues and prostate cancer was significantly lower than those of the other parameters (AUC>0.95
P
<0.05). And there were no significantly difference among the AUCs of other parameters in differentiating cancer and PZ tissues.
Conclusion:
Changing of initial
b
values affected the
value and its diagnostic performance for prostate cancer.