Evaluation of diffusion-weighted MRI in the preoperative staging of rectal cancer

Objective:To assess the clinical value of diffusion-weighted imaging in the T staging of rectal cancer.Methods:Data of MR sequence including conventional MRI and DWI of 43 patients with rectal cancer were reviewed retrospectively.The results of MRI were correlated with of pathology.Results:The accuracy of MRI T1 staging was 60.0%(3/5),T2 80.0%(12/15),T3 66.7%(12/18) and T4 80.0%(4/5).The accuracy of DWI combined with MRI conventional sequences T1 staging was 100%(5/5),T2 100.0%(15/15),T3 83.3%(15/18) and T4 100.0%(5/5).The total accurate rates for T staging in rectal carcinoma by MRI conventional sequences alone and that combined with DWI were 72.1% and 93.0%,respectively.Conclusion:Diffusion-weighted imaging combined with conventional MRI can be more accurate for the judgment of T-staging in rectal cancer.