Brain Tumors Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Brain Tumors, including details on symptoms, benign and malignant tumors, gliomas, screening, treatment.

Diffusion-weighted and perfusion MR imaging for brain tumor characterization and assessment of treatment response.

Provenzale JM, Mukundan S, Barboriak DP

Department of Radiology, Box 3808, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and perfusion MR imaging are advanced techniques that provide information not available from conventional MR imaging. In particular, these techniques have a number of applications with regard to characterization of tumors and assessment of tumor response to therapy. In this review, the authors describe the fundamental principles of diffusion-weighted and perfusion MR imaging and provide an overview of the ways in which these techniques are being used to characterize tumors by helping distinguish tumor types, assess tumor grade, and attempt to determine tumor margins. In addition, the role of these techniques for evaluating response to tumor therapy is outlined.

Published 22 May 2006 in Radiology, 239(3): 632-49.
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