Combined Use of T2-Weighted and Diffusion-Weighted 3T MR Imaging for Differentiating Uterine Sarcomas from Benign Leiomyomas

Tomohiro Namimoto¹, Kazuo Awai¹, Takeshi Nakaura¹, Yumi Yanaga¹, Tetsuo Saito², Toshinori Hirai¹, Yasuyuki Yamashita¹

To compare diagnostic ability of sole diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and DWI combined with T2-weighted MRI for differentiation of uterine sarcomas from benign leiomyomas. The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of sarcomas was 0.86 } 0.11~10^-3mm²/s, which was significantly lower than that of leiomyomas 1.18 } 0.24~10^-3mm²/s; however, there was a large overlap. Our preliminary results indicate that combined use of DWI and T2-weighted imaging was better than DWI or T2-weighted imaging alone in the differentiation of uterine sarcomas from benign leiomyomas.