Orbital benign and malignant lymphoproliferative disorders: Differentiation using semi-quantitative and quantitative analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

ObjectivesTo assess the value of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging (DCE-MRI) in differentiating benign from malignant orbital lymphoproliferative disorders (OLPDs).MethodsThirty-nine patients with orbital lymphoproliferative disorders (21 malignant and 18 benign) underwent DCE-MRI scan for pre-treatment evaluation from March 2013 to December 2015. Both semi-quantitative (TTP, AUC, Slopemax) and quantitative (Ktrans, kep, ve) parameters were calculated, and compared between two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to determine the diagnostic value of each significant parameter.ResultsMalignant OLPDs showed significantly higher kep, lower ve, and lower AUC than benign OLPDs, while no significant differences were found on Ktrans, TTP and Slopemax. ROC analyses indicated that ve exhibited the best diagnostic performance in predicting malignant OLPDs (cutoff value, 0.211; area under the curve, 0.896; sensitivity, 76.2%; specificity, 94.9%), followed by kep (cutoff value, 0.853; area under the curve, 0.839; sensitivity, 85.7%; specificity, 89.9%).ConclusionDCE-MRI and specially its derived quantitative parameters of kep and ve are promising metrics for differentiating malignant from benign OLPDs.