Diagnostic value of MRI enhancement in determining the degree of malignancy of Brain Tumors in patients

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of MRI enhancement in determining the degree of malignancy of brain tumors. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a part of the brain tumor was extracted by a neurosurgeon and its malignancy degree was assessed by a pathologist who was unaware of the MRI results. Information about tumors benignancy or malignancy and their malignancy status were recorded on a checklist. Patients whose pathological results were uncertain or undetermined were excluded. Data obtained from the positive and negative results of tumors MRI enhancement and pathology were analyzed in SPSS 20 to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio, and AUC. Results: The probability value (p-value) of greater than 0.05 showed that MRI had no significant positive predictive value in determining the malignancy of brain tumors before and after contrast, but the probability value (p-value) of less than 0.05 indicated that enhancement had a positive significant diagnostic value in determining the degree of malignancy in patients with brain tumors, and the most appropriate cutoff point was 1.5 with a sensitivity of 0.77 and a specificity of 85. Conclusion: MRI enhancement has a high diagnostic value for determining the degree of malignancy of brain tumors.