Diagnostic performance of ADC value in histopathological grading of mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

Abstract Background Various invasive and non-invasive imaging modalities are used to diagnose and stage cholangiocarcinoma (CC). In this study, we aimed to assess the role of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value measurement in diagnosing and grading CC with mass formation. The study was conducted on 38 cases, including 24 males and 14 females, with ages ranging from 34 to 77 years with a mean age of 61.52 ± 10.45 year. Patients were referred by the Hepatobiliary Surgery and Hepatology departments of our institution between October 2019 and November 2021. With respect to the patients diagnosed with mass-forming CC by pathology, they underwent dynamic MR 1.5 T. CC was evaluated qualitatively using visual analysis of DW-MR images and quantitatively with measurement of ADC values. Results The mean ADC of mass-forming carcinoma was lower than that of hepatic parenchyma and more than that of the splenic parenchyma. Poorly differentiated CC was associated with a lower ADC value (mean 0.98 ± 0.12), while well-differentiated CC was associated with a higher ADC value (mean 1.23 ± 0.16). The cutoff value for poorly differentiated CC ADC measurements was less than 1.15, whereas it was greater than 1.15 for the well-differentiated CC. Conclusions DWI is a new effective technique for detecting and improving CC diagnosis as a safe, non-invasive, and non-contrast dependent.