ABSTRACT
Objective To determine whether volume transfer coefficient (Ktrans )can be used to differentiate high-grade glioma (HGG)and metastasis.Methods Thirty-nine patients with brain tumors (12 HGG,27 metastases)underwent dynamic contrast en-hanced MR imaging before surgical resection or stereotactic biopsy.Images were acquired with a three-dimensional (3D)fast gradi-ent echo sequence.Gadolinium-based contrast agent was injected intravenously with dosage of 0.1 mmol/kg bodyweight at a rate of 3.0 mL/s.Ktrans and Ve were calculated from the DCE MRI data.The results of Ktrans and Ve were compared between the 2 types of tumors.Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed for each of the variables in differentiation cerebral metastasis from HGG.Results The Ktrans values in the parenchyma of HGG and metastases were 0.10 (0.11,0.71)min-1 and 0.21 (0.05, 0.77)min-1 ,respectively.The difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05).The Ktrans values in the peritumoral region of the HGG and brain metastasis were 0.04 (0.01,0.10)min-1 and 0.01 (0.00,0.06)min-1 ,respectively.There was a significant difference between the Ktrans values in the peritumoral edema of HGG and cerebral metastases (P<0.05).The optimal cutoff value of Ktrans for differentiating HGG from cerebral metastases was 0.03,with sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 70%.Conclusion Ktrans values in the peritumoral edema may be useful in the differentiating cerebral metastases between HGG.