Differentiation of Hemangioblastoma from Metastatic Brain Tumor using Dynamic Contrast-enhanced MR Imaging

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to differentiate hemangioblastomas from metastatic brain tumors using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and compare the diagnostic performances with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DSC-MRI).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 7 patients with hemangioblastoma and 15 patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including DWI, DSC-MRI, and DCE-MRI. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV), and DCE-MRI parameters (K ^trans, k _ep, v _e, and v _p) were compared between the two groups. The diagnostic performance of each parameter was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results: v _p, k _ep, and rCBV were significantly different between patients with hemangioblastoma and those with metastatic brain tumor (p < 0.001, p = 0.005, and p = 0.017, respectively). A v _p cutoff value of 0.012 and a rCBV cutoff value of 8.0 showed the highest accuracy for differentiating hemangioblastoma from metastasis. The area under the ROC curve for v _p and rCBV was 0.99 and 0.89, respectively. A v _p > 0.012 showed 100 % sensitivity, 93.3 % specificity, and 95.5 % accuracy and a rCBV > 8.0 showed 85.7 % sensitivity, 93.3 % specificity, and 90.9 % accuracy for differentiating hemangioblastoma from metastatic brain tumor.

Conclusion: DCE-MRI was useful for differentiating hemangioblastoma from metastatic brain tumor.

Keywords: Diffusion-weighted imaging; Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI; Dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI; Hemangioblastoma; Metastatic brain tumor.