Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate whether
readout-segmented echo-planar
imaging (RS-EPI)
diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)
can reduce image distortion and improve the lesion identification
in parathyroid adenomas (PTAs)
compared to single-shot EPI (SS-EPI) DWI, and to determine whether PTAs
can be differentiated from other soft tissue structures of the head and
neck region by using the apparent
diffusion coefficient (ADC) value.
Design : Retrospective study.
Setting : 〈Blinded for review〉
Participants : 24 patients who underwent a magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) scan for the preoperative diagnosis of PTAs from January
2012 to March 2020 were enrolled.
Main outcome measures : MRI was performed with the acquisition
of a 1.5T MR imaging system (Avanto or Trio, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany)
or a 3T MR imaging system (Prisma or Skyra, Siemens). Image quality and
distortion of PTAs on RS-EPI and SS-EPI was evaluated using a reported
five point score, and the ADC values of PTAs, thyroid glands and
cervical neck lymph nodes were compared.
Results: RS-EPI provided significantly less distortion but did
not improve the lesion identification compared to SS-EPI. On SS-EPI, the
PTAs had significantly higher ADC values compared to the cervical lymph
nodes. On RS-EPI, the PTAs had significantly higher ADC values compared
to the thyroid glands and cervical lymph nodes.
Conclusions: RS-EPI
reduces the DWI distortion in PTAs. The ADC value obtained using RS-EPI
enables the differentiation of PTAs from nearby structures, such as
thyroid glands and cervical lymph nodes.