الفهرس 
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Abstract
Vertebral collapse is a common problem due to benign conditions (trauma, infection, osteoporosis) or malignant process. And although the spine is the most common site of bone metastases (39% of bony metastases in patients with primary neoplasms) benign vertebral fractures due to osteopenia occur in one third of cancer patients, making it essential to determine whether the cause of vertebral collapse is benign or malignant.
Conventional MR techniques cannot always be used to differentiate benign from malignant lesions because of their similar appearances. For example, osteopenic compression fracture can be confused with metastatic compression in the acute phase due to edema.
MR imaging findings suggestive of metastatic compression fracture are as follows: convex posterior border of the vertebral body, abnormal signal intensity of the pedicle or posterior element, epidural mass, encasing epidural mass, focal paraspinal mass, and other spinal metastasis.
MR imaging findings suggestive of benign (acute osteoporotic) vertebral compression fracture are as follows: low-signal-intensity band on T1- and T2-weighted images, spared normal bone marrow signal intensity of the vertebral body, retropulsion of a posterior bone fragment, and multiple compression fractures.
This study aimed to establish the role of DWI in differentiating benign from pathologic vertebral fractures using ADC values in comparison with histopathology report /laboratory evaluation and clinical follow-up.
We performed DWI using maximum b-values 600, and quantitative analysis, named apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). We correlated the ADC number to histopathology, laboratory finding and clinical follow up.
In our study there was significant difference (p<0.04) between DWI of the benign and malignant groups. Also the ADC value showed significant difference <0.001.
The mean ADCs of benign VCFs were higher significantly than those of pathological fractures.