Background The effect of gadolinium-based contrast agents on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) measurements of breast lesions is still not clear. Purpose To investigate gadolinium effects on DWI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in breast lesions and normal parenchyma with 3 Tesla contrast-enhanced MRI. Material and Methods Pre- and post-contrast DWI (b = 0 and b = 1000 s/mm2) were acquired in 47 patients. Measured ADC values, pre- and post-contrast T2 signal intensity (T2 SI) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were compared with Wilcoxon signed-rank and rank-sum test ( P < 0.05). Results Post-contrast ADC was reduced only in malignant lesions (−34%), T2 SI was reduced both in malignant (−50%) and benign (−36%) lesions. Post-contrast CNR was reduced in all groups except for benign lesions. Conclusion Gadolinium-based contrast agent causes a significant reduction in ADC values of malignant breast lesions.
Role of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in differentiating between benign and malignant breast lesions
