Diffusion-weighted MR imaging and utility of ADC measurements in characterizing nerve and muscle changes in diabetic patients on ankle DWI studies: a cross-sectional study

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the utility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements from ankle MRI diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) studies in identifying neuropathic changes in diabetic patients. Methods: In total, 109 consecutive ankle MRI scans (n = 101 patients) at a single tertiary care county hospital from November 1, 2019, to July 11, 2021, who met the inclusion criteria were identified. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts: diabetic (n = 62) and non-diabetic (n = 39). Demographics, HgbA1c, neuropathy diagnosis, and image quality data were collected. Abductor hallucis (AH) ADC mean and minimum (min) values and posterior tibial nerve (PTN) ADC mean and minimum values were measured. Student t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis were performed using R. Results: Diabetic patients had significantly higher mean and min ADC values (× 10−3 mm2/s) of the AH muscle (mean: 1.77 vs 1.39, p < 0.001; min: 1.51 vs 1.06, p < 0.001) and PTN (mean: 1.65 vs 1.18, p < 0.001; min: 1.33 vs 0.95, p < 0.001) compared to non-diabetic patients. HgbA1c positively correlated with AH and PTN ADC mean values (AH: p = 0.036; PTN: p = 0.004). Conclusion: Our data suggests that an increasing diffusivity of water as quantified by ADC across neuronal and muscular membranes is a consequence of the pathophysiology of the disease. Thus, ankle MRI-DWI studies are useful in identifying neuropathic changes in diabetic patients and quantifying the severity noninvasively. Key Points: •Diabetic patients had significantly higher mean and minimum ADC values of the abductor hallucis muscle and posterior tibial nerve compared to non-diabetic patients. •HgbA1c positively correlated with ADC mean values (AH: p = 0.036; PTN: p = 0.004) suggesting that an increasing diffusivity of water across neuronal and muscular membranes is a consequence of the pathophysiology of diabetic neuropathy. •Ankle MRI DWI can be used clinically to non-invasively identify neuropathic changes due to diabetes mellitus.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4855-4863
Number of pages9
JournalEuropean Radiology
Volume33
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2023

Keywords

  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Diabetic neuropathies
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • Muscles
  • Nerves

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Diffusion-weighted MR imaging and utility of ADC measurements in characterizing nerve and muscle changes in diabetic patients on ankle DWI studies: a cross-sectional study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this