In vivo molecular profiling of human glioma using diffusion kurtosis imaging

The purpose of this study is to assess the diagnostic performance of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) for in vivo molecular profiling of human glioma. Normalized mean kurtosis (MK n ) and mean diffusivity (MD n ) metrics from DKI were assessed in 50 patients with histopathologically confirmed glioma. The results were compared in regard to the WHO-based histological findings and molecular characteristics leading to integrated diagnosis (Haarlem Consensus): isocitrate-dehydrogenase (IDH1/2) mutation status, alpha-thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX) expression, chromosome 1p/19q loss of heterozygosity (LOH), and O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation status. MK n was significantly lower in tumors with IDH1/2 mutation (0.43 ± 0.09) and ATRX loss of expression (0.41 ± 0.11) than in those with IDH1/2 wild type (0.57 ± 0.09, p