Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a technique that has traditionally been used in neuroimaging for the detection of acute ischemia and other intracranial disease. However, it is increasingly being used in body applications (Megibow 2010).
Pancreatic neoplasms can be detected and characterized at conventional and functional MR imaging. Conventional MR imaging has become more widely used in the diagnosis of pancreatic neoplasms because of its exceptional soft-tissue contrast resolution (Ku et al, 2009).
With continuing improvement in the quality of body MR imaging sequences, single-shot T2-weighted and three-dimensional unenhanced
and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted gradient echo sequences have been successfully used to characterize cystic and solid lesions of the pancreas. In addition, heavily T2-weighted MR cholangiopancreatography can be used to accurately depict the pancreatic ductal system and the relationship of masses to the pancreatic duct (Ly & miller 2002).
Few reports describe the diffusion-weighted imaging findings seen in the various pancreatic neoplasms (Wang et al 2011).