The value of amide proton transfer imaging in the diagnosis of malignant and benign urinary bladder lesions: comparison with DWI

Motivation: Conventional MRI has certain limitations in distinguishing between malignant and benign urinary bladder (UB) lesions. Goal(s): Compare the diagnostic value of Amide proton transfer (APT) imaging with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Approach: Participants with confirmed UB lesions underwent preoperative multiparametric MRI. The APT signal intensity (represented by asymmetric magnetization transfer ratio, MTRasym), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were compared between malignant and benign UB lesions, and their diagnostic performance was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: The MTRasym value was significantly better in differentiating urothelial carcinoma from benign UB lesions than the ADC value. Impact: Conventional MRI exhibits limitations in accurately distinguishing between malignant and benign urinary bladder (UB) lesions. Amide Proton Transfer (APT) imaging shows promise in effectively discriminating between malignant and benign UB lesions, surpassing the performance of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (DWI).