Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its corresponding apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in the detection, characterization, and discrimination between different types of bony lesions.
Materials and Methods: Patients were evaluated by conventional and diffusion-weighted MR images. Diffusion was carried out using the b values of 0, 500, and 1000, and then the ADCs were generated.
Results: The average ADC value of benign lesions was approximately 1.84×10–3 mm2/s±0.33, while that of malignant lesions was approximately 1.17×10–3 mm2/s±0.44; p<0.001. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis produced a cut-off value for the detection of malignancy of 1.47×10–3 mm2/s with 89.5% specificity and 79.5% sensitivity.
Conclusion: Diffusion-weighted imaging combined with ADC values is considered a useful tool that can be added to the conventional MRI sequences for detection, differentiation, and characterization of different bony lesions.