Utility of Diffusion-Weighted MRI to Detect Changes in Liver Diffusion in Benign and Malignant Distal Bile Duct Obstruction: The Influence of Choice of b-Values

Abstract Purpose The study sought to evaluate the potential of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to detect changes in liver diffusion in benign and malignant distal bile duct obstruction and to investigate the effect of the choice of b-values on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Methods Diffusion-weighted imaging was acquired with b-values of 200, 600, 800, and 1000 s/mm2 . ADC values were obtained in 4 segments of the liver. The mean ADC values of 16 patients with malignant distal bile duct obstruction, 14 patients with benign distal bile duct obstruction, and a control group of 16 healthy patients were compared. Results Mean ADC values for 4 liver segments were lower in the malignant obstruction group than in the benign obstruction and control groups using b = 200 s/mm2 ( P