Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the breast: advantages and pitfalls.

The aim of this paper is to review all clinical applications of diffusion weighted MR imaging (DWI) for breast pathology. The challenge of DWI is to obtain the best compromise between lesion detection and characterization. Technical factors affecting lesion characterization and detection are detailed including the effect of contrast administration, the choice of number of b and of b(max), the variation of diagnostic performance according to the type and the size of lesion studied.