Histogram analysis of synthetic MRI to distinguish benign from malignant sinonasal tumors: correlations with histopathologic factors

Motivation: Histogram parameters from synthetic MRI (SyMRI) can provide more diagnostic information than mean values in distinguishing benign from malignant sinonasal tumors, moreover, the histopathologic basis of SyMRI in characterizing malignancies is unclear. Goal(s): To explore performance of histogram metrics from SyMRI in distinguishing between benign and malignant groups and examine their correlations with histopathologic features in malignancies. Approach: The histogram metrics were derived from SyMRI quantitative maps and combined with histopathological features including Ki-67, P53 and EGFR. Results: Significant difference in histogram metrics were observed between benign and malignant groups. The combination of T2 maps with clinical features demonstrated the best diagnostic performance. Impact: Histogram analysis of SyMRI quantitative maps may be recognized as a noninvasive and free-contrast method in differentiating benign from malignant sinonasal tumors. Furthermore, histogram parameters may serve as potential biomarkers for distinguishing histopathologic feature expressions.