Diagnostic value of multi-parameter MRI in ovarian endometriosis

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of multi-parameter MRI in diagnosing ovarian endometrial cysts. Methods Pelvic MRI of 68 patients with confirmed pathological diagnosis were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into ovarian endometriosis (35 patients with 42 lesions, group A) and other cystic lesions (33 patients with 38 lesions , group B).The signal intensity value of T1WI, T2WI of cyst fluid and iliopsoas, ADC value, phase values and R2*values were obtained, cyst fluid/iliopsoas ratios (T1R and T2R) were calculated. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was employed to compare parameter values between the two groups. The values of diagnostic performance were analyzed by using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Use the Logistics regression parameters of diagnostic efficacy to select the highest Youden index for the best parameter association after combining the parameters step by step. Results The median of T1R,T2R,ADC,phase,T1R and R2* values for group A were 3.39,5.28,1.20×10-3mm2/s,2.19×10-2, 15.08 Hz respectively, and that of group B were 0.91, 10.85, 2.64×10-3mm2/s,2.67×10-2, 3.01 Hz, respectively. There were statistically significant difference between the two groups (P 0.05).When combining T1R,ADC value,R2* value together,the Youden index (0.849 7) was highest. Conclusion Combining T1R,ADC and R2* values can provide an effective way to discriminate endometrial ovarian cyst from other ovary cystic lesions. Key words: Ovarian neoplasms; Endometriosis; Magnetic resonance imaging