Edna Furman-Haran1,
Myra Feinberg-Shapiro2, Erez Eyal1, Dov Grobgeld1,
Noemi Weisenberg2, Noam Nissan1, Tania Zehavi2,
Hadassa Degani3
1The
Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel; 2Meir Medical
Center, Kfar Saba, Israel; 3Weizmann Institue of Science, Rehovot,
Israel
Diffusion weighted imaging utilizing a broad range of diffusion gradient strengths and diffusion tensor imaging were applied in order to characterize the microstructure of the breast and the compartmentation of breast cancer to extracellular and intracellular environments. Pixel-by-pixel analysis yielded parametric maps of the tensor diffusion parameters and of estimated diffusion coefficients in each compartment. The results indicated that maps of the parameters that characterize water diffusion in the breast facilitate the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer and reveal distinct cellular features