Apparent diffusion coefficient maps obtained from high b value diffusion-weighted imaging in the preoperative evaluation of gliomas at 3T: comparison with standard b value diffusion-weighted imaging.

Objective: To assess whether ADC maps obtained from high b value DWI were more valuable in preoperatively evaluating the grade, Ki-67 index and outcome of gliomas.

Methods: Sixty-three patients with gliomas, who underwent preoperative multi b value DWI at 3 T, were enrolled. The ADC, ADC and ADC maps were generated. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted to determine the area under the curve (AUC) in differentiating high-grade gliomas (HGG) from low-grade gliomas (LGG). Pearson correlation coefficients (R value) were calculated to investigate the correlation between parameters with the Ki-67 proliferation index. Survival analysis was conducted by using Cox regression.

Results: The AUC of the mean ADC value (0.820) was lower than that of the mean ADC value (0.847) and mean ADC value (0.875) in differentiating HGG from LGG. The R value of the mean ADC value (-0.499) was less negative than that of the mean ADC value (-0.530) and mean ADC value (-0.567). The mean ADC value was an independent prognosis factor for gliomas (p = 0.008), while the mean ADC and ADC values were not.

Conclusion: ADC maps obtained from high b value DWI might be a better imaging biomarker in the preoperative evaluation of gliomas.

Key Points: • ADC maps could improve the differentiation between HGG and LGG. • The mean ADC value had a closer correlation with the Ki-67 index. • The mean ADC value was an independent prognosis factor for gliomas.