Role of diffusion‑weighted magnetic resonance imaging in the characterization of uterine neoplasms

Context Uterine malignant neoplasms are considered a frequent major cause of mortality. Aims To detect the role of diffusion‑weighted images in assessing uterine neoplasms. Settings and design Department of Radiology, Assiut Faculty of Medicine, Egypt. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Assiut Faculty of Medicine, Egypt. Patients and methods Our study included 20 patients with uterine neoplasms. All patients were examined by pelvic advanced MRI techniques with diffusion MRI. Statistical analysis Categorical data were reported in frequencies and percentages. Quantitative data were reported as mean (SD) and evaluated for statistically significant differences between both groups utilizing independent Student’s t test. Results The apparent diffusion coefficient value in benign uterine lesions is equal to 1.088 ± 0.146 and for the malignant lesions it is equal to 0.658 ± 0.178 with a P value of 0.000 which is highly significant. A cutoff apparent diffusion coefficient value of 0.85 × 10‑3 mm2/s for malignant lesions resulted in 91.7% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% positive predictive value, 88.7% negative predictive value, and 91.67% accuracy. Conclusions Diffusion‑weighted image has a great role in differentiating malignant and benign uterine neoplasms.