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, Slope_max) and quantitative (K^trans, k_ep, v_e) 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 k_ep, lower v_e, and lower AUC than benign OLPDs, while no significant differences were found on K^trans, TTP and Slope_max. ROC analyses indicated that v_e 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 k_ep (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 k_ep and v_e are promising metrics for differentiating malignant from benign OLPDs.