Value of convertional MRI in detecting degenerative phase of cerebral cysticerlosis and small metastases

WANG Li-yuan; ZENG Rui; HUANG Hong-fang; ZHANG Xue; HOU Zhong-jun

Abstract：Objective To study the difference of degeno-death stage cerebral neurocysticercosis lesions and brain metas-tasis nodules through the conventional MR scan and DWI sequence .Methods MRI data of 29 patients with degeno-death stage cerebral neurocysticercosis and 30 patients with brain metastasis were reviewed .The imaging features were studied and the ADC value of the lesions ,were measured with spss 16 .0 statistical software as data analysis .Results 91 .9% le-sions of degeno-death stage cerebral nerocyticercosis displayed surrounding hypointense signal on T 2 WI ,while ,the brain metastasis nodules was 9 .1% .The diagnostic sensitivety ,specificity and accuracy of T2WI low signal intensity surround-ing were 90 .7% (78/86) ,90 .9% (60/66) and 90 .8% (138/152) respectively .Among those ,95 .4% lesions of degeno-death stage cerebral nerocyticercosis were shown hypointense signal on DWI while the brain metastasis nodule was 69 .7% . The diagnostic sensitivety ,specificity and accuracy of hypointense signal on DWI were 95 .4% (82/86) ,30 .3% (20/66) and 67 .1% (102/152) respectively .The mean ADC value of degeno-death stage cerebral nerocyticercosis was (1 .54 ± 0.42) × 10-3 s/mm2 and the brain metastasis nodule lesion was (1 .12 ± 0 .36) × 10-3 s/mm2 .There was a significant differ-ence between two of them ( P <0 .01) .Conclusion The consistent hypointense signal ring and the integrity regular en-hancement are the characteristic of degeno-death neurocysticercosis lesions .DWI and ADC values are valuable to differenti-ate the degeno-death neurocysticercosis lesions from the brain metastasis nodule lesions .