The retrospective study includes 27 newly diagnosed patients, providing 99 MRI-investigations. Patients were categorized according to the IMWG response criteria. Quantitative assessment was based on signal intensities (SI) of T1-weighted, fat-saturated T2-weighted and b1000 images, apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) and parameters from time-intensity-curves (TIC) derived from L3. Qualitative visual analysis of conventional MRI-images, b1000-images and TICs, providing a “combined skeletal score”, was used to create MRI response criteria.
The combined skeletal score could significantly differentiate between subgroups based on IMWG response criteria (p = 0.016). The gold standard plasmacytosis could significantly differentiate between subgroups based on MRI response criteria (p < 0.001), as well as slope (p < 0.001) and ADC (p = 0.006). There is a good agreement between IMWG and MRI response criteria (Kendall’s coefficient = 0.761).
Response evaluation of MM-patients based on the combination of anatomical information from conventional MRI with functional information from DCE-MRI and DWI, is useful for monitoring therapy.