Background and Purpose

Differentiation of meningiomas, paragangliomas, and schwannomas in the cerebellopontine angle and jugular foramen remains challenging when conventional MRI findings are inconclusive. This study aimed to assess the clinical utility of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) findings for tumor type differentiation and to identify the most significant diagnostic parameters.

Methods

This retrospective study included 57 patients with pathologically confirmed meningiomas, paragangliomas, and schwannomas, diagnosed between January 2018 and August 2021. DWI and DCE-MRI were obtained before surgery. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and DCE-MRI parameters were calculated. The Kruskal-Wallis H test and post hoc test with Bonferroni correction and receiver operating characteristic curve were used for statistical analysis.

Results

There were 20 meningiomas (6 men; 62.3 ± 17.8 years), 23 paragangliomas (3 men; 51.6 ± 17.0 years), and 14 schwannomas (7 men; 37.7 ± 20.0 years). Vp showed a significant difference in each comparison (p < .001, <.001, and <.001, respectively), Ve showed significant differences both in meningiomas and paragangliomas, and paragangliomas and schwannomas (p < .001 and .017, respectively), and Ktrans showed significant differences both in meningiomas and paragangliomas, and meningiomas and schwannomas (p = .0018 and <.001, respectively), though there was no significant difference in ADC. Vp diagnostic performance values for each pair of tumors were area under the curve of 0.89-1.00, with cutoff values of 0.14-0.27.

Conclusion

DCE-MRI can provide promising parameters to differentiate meningiomas, paragangliomas, and schwannomas in the cerebellopontine angle and jugular foramen.