Purpose We explored whether advanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques could grade oligodendrogliomas. Methods Forty patients (age 9-61 years) with oligodendroglial tumors were selected. There were 23 patients with World Health Organization grade II (group 1) and 17 patients with grade III (group 2) tumors. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps were calculated by b values of 0 and 1000 s/mm2. Dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) images were obtained during the first pass of a bolus of gadolinium-based contrast. These data were post-processed and cerebral blood volume (CBV) maps and permeability (PS) were calculated. MR spectroscopy was acquired after drawing a region of interest on the tumor using two-dimensional chemical shift imaging. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results When the rPSmax was combined with the rCBVmax, there was a significant difference between the two groups ( p ≤ 0.03) with area under the curve of 0.742 (95% CI: 0.412-0.904). rCBV, rADC, choline/creatine, and choline/NAA alone were able to differentiate between the two groups; however, they did not show any statistical difference with p values of ≤ 0.121, ≤ 0.722, and ≤ 0.582, respectively. A CBV PS product threshold of 0.53 provided a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 83.3% in detection of grade III tumors. Conclusion Combined rCBVmax and rPSmax can be utilized to grade oligodendrogliomas. ADC values, relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV), and MR spectroscopy alone can be utilized to differentiate between the two groups of oligodendrogliomas but without statistical significance.
Keywords: Apparent diffusion coefficient; cerebral blood volume; time to echo.