Objective:

To compare the quantitative parameters of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) for assessment of the histological characteristics of rectal cancer.

Methods:

Twenty rectal cancer patients and twenty-three healthy volunteers underwent DKI scans (

b

=0

500

1 000

1 500

2 000 s/mm

²

respectively; three diffusion directions). The values of mean diffusion (MD)

mean kurtosis (MK)

apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and pathologic findings between the two groups were compared using independent sample t test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses.

Results:

The values of MD

MK and ADC in healthy volunteers were 1.3710-3 mm2/s

0.960.11

(0.760.12)10

-3

mm

2

/s

respectively

and in rectal cancer patients were (1.100.12)10

-3

mm

2

/s

1.220.16

(0.600.06)10

-3

mm

2

/s

respectively. There were significant differences between the two groups (

P

0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) for MD value (0.928) could better distinguish rectal cancer from healthy volunteers than that for MK value (0.909) and ADC value (0.907).

Conclusion:

The preliminary findings suggest that DKI can predict rectal cancer. The parameters MD and MK are better than ADC in predicting rectal cancer.