Apparent diffusion coefficient and its standard deviation from diffusion-weighted imaging in preoperative predicting liver invasion by T3-staged resectable gallbladder carcinoma

AIM: To evaluate apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and its standard deviation (SDADC) in preoperative predicting liver invasion by T3-staged gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one consecutive patients with T3-staged resectable GBC were included and divided into two sets with (n=27) and without (n=14) liver invasion. All patients underwent DWI at b-values of 0, 20, 50, 80, 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1,000 s/mm(2) with a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging scanner before surgery. ADC and SDADC of tumour-adjacent and tumour-distant liver tissues were measured on DWI, and were compared by Mann-Whitney U-tests. If there was a significant difference in any derived parameter, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess performance of this parameter to predict liver invasion. RESULTS: DWI could differentiate between patients with and without liver invasion when b = 0, 1,000 s/mm(2) (AUCs of ADC and SDADC were 0.697 and 0.714, respectively). In patients with liver invasion, mean ADC and SDADC of tumour-adjacent liver tissue were lower than of tumour-distant liver tissue when b = 0, 800 s/mm(2), and = 0, 1,000 s/mm(2) (all p-values <0.05). To differentiate tumour-adjacent from tumour-distant liver tissues in patients with liver invasion, AUCs of ADC were 0.687 (b = 0, 800 s/mm(2)) and 0.680 (b = 0, 1,000 s/mm(2)), and AUCs of SDADC were 0.673 (b = 0, 800 s/mm(2)) and 0.731 (b = 0, 1,000 s/mm(2)). CONCLUSIONS: DWI could have potential value in preoperative predicting liver invasion by T3-staged GBC. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Royal College of Radiologists.