Perfusion-sensitive MRI of cerebral lymphomas: A preliminary report

Purpose: To date, there have been no systematic reports examining cerebral lymphomas with perfusion-sensitive MRI. We sought to determine the characte ristics of perfusion-sensitive MRI of these tumors. Method: Five primary and three secondary cerebral lymphomas were analyzed. None of the patients had a history of AIDS. Various areas of relative cereb ral blood volume (rCBV) within tumor were analyzed, and maximum CBV ratios (CBV[tumor/ contralateral]) were identified for evaluation. Results: In three primary and three secondary cerebral lymphomas, maximum C BV ratios were <2.5 (mean 1.50). In others, maximum CBV ratios were markedl y higher than those of the white matter (5.38 and 5.42). Mean maximum rCBV ratios of primary and secondary cerebral lymphomas were 2.93 and 1.43, resp ectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: Cerebral lymphomas had a tendency to have low rCBV values. This information may be helpful in diagnosing these tumors.