Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Value Changes of Normal Uterine Cervix with Aging

Abstract

Background: In the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of many tissues, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values vary with age. In the literature, there are no studies in which normal cervix ADC values and their relationship with age is analyzed. Objectives: To evaluate whether changes occur in ADC values with aging in the uterine cervix with 3-Tesla MRI. Patients and Methods: Female patients aged between 18 and 70 years who were found to have lower abdominal diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) in the radiology database from December 2017 to May 2018 were evaluated. All DWI examinations were performed using a 3-T MR with 2 b values (b = 50, 800 s/mm 2). A total of 161 patients were divided into two groups according to their menopausal status (premenopausal n = 106, postmenopausal n = 55). To evaluate the correlation between the age of the patient and the ADC values, Pearson correlation analysis was performed. Results: The mean age of the patients was 41.4 ± 11.6 years. The mean ADC value was 1.276 ± 0.25 mm 2 /sec × 10-3 in the whole population. There was a negative correlation between age and ADC values. The mean cervix ADC value of premenopausal and postmenopausal patients was 1.333 ± 0.23 mm 2 /sec × 10-3 and 1.165 ± 0.25 mm 2 /sec × 10-3 , respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in term of cervix ADC value (P < 0.05). Conclusion: A negative correlation between aging and ADC values was found. Menopausal status has an effect on the ADC values of the cervix. These findings may indicate cellular and extracellular matrix changes in the cervix tissue with aging and menopausal status.