ABSTRACT

The contribution of diffusion-weighted MRI to differential diagnosis between metastasis-pathologic vertebral fracture and osteoporotic vertebral fracture was investigated.

This study included (group-1) 14 benign vertebral fractures and (group-2) 42 vertebral metastases, all patients were investigated with vertebral X-ray, spine MRI and diffusion MRI and followed up for 1 year. Scintigraphy examination of the second group of patients were available.

In group-1, all compression fractures were no restricted diffusion and hypointensity on MRI. In the second group, 25 vertebral lesions were detected hyperintense, 6 moderate hyperintense, and 11 hypointense signals. Diffusion MRI hyperintensity was detected significant in metastatic lesions (p <0.001). Group 2 was separated as lytic and sclerotic subgroups. Diffusion restriction, hyperintensity signal was significantly higher in lytic metastases (p <0.001).

Diffusion-weighted MRI contribute to the conventional MR sequences in the case of lytic vertebral metastasis. Diffusion-weighted imaging has limited diagnostic value in sclerotic metastases.