الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Brain abscesses and brain tumors may have similar clinical presentations. Also, the differential diagnosis of brain abscesses versus cystic or necrotic tumors may be difficult based on computed tomography or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings. However, the strategies of management for abscess and neoplasm are very different, and it is especially imperative to have a correct diagnosis before any surgical intervention of cystic brain lesions. The MR special techniques, e.g. diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and MR spectroscopy (MRS), are useful as additional diagnostic modalities for differentiating brain abscesses from cystic or necrotic brain tumors. DWI shows high signal intensity in most cases of pyogenic abscesses and low signal intensity in most cases of cystic or necrotic tumors. MRS shows characteristic metabolites in pyogenic abscesses, distinct from those in cystic or necrotic tumors |