Role of Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging and ADC Value Measurement in Identification and Differentiation of Non-Palpable Undescended Testes, AHMED M.W. ALGEBALLY, AHMED M.S. NASR and WESAM AMR
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the role of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and ADC value measurement in the identification of non-palpable testes and its differentiation from neighboring lymph nodes.
Patient and Methods: Fifty patients with 64 non-palpable testes were included in this study. Conventional MRI including T1 and T2 WI and DWI were done for all patients. The imaging results were compared with the laparoscopic surgical findings. Mean ADC values of both undescended testes and related lymph nodes were compared.
Results: Conventional MRI identified 40 intra-canalicular testes and 8 intra-abdominal testes while 16 testes were not identified. Combined conventional MRI and DWI identified 40 intra-canalicular testes and 12 intra-abdominal testes while 12 testes were not identified. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the conventional MRI and combined conventional MRI and DWI were 88.5%, 83.3%, 86% and 96.1%, 83.3%, and 90% respectively. There was significant difference between mean ADC value of undescended testes and related lymph nodes (p-value <0.005), a cut off value of 1.2 X 10-3mm2/s is suggested for its differentiation.
Conclusion: Adding DWI and ADC value to conventional MRI increases its accuracy in the identification and differen-tiation of undescended testes.