Magnetic resonance relaxometry in assessment of morphological properties of brain gliomas: state of the art

Magnetic resonance (MR) relaxometry, or measurement of tissue magnetic relaxation properties, is a technology intended to quantitatively depict the physical basis of structural MR imaging. This review is devoted to perspective directions of studies and application of MR relaxometry in brain glioma preoperative and pretherapeutic diagnosis. The current data advocate for emerging capabilities of relaxometry in glioma grading (despite possible overlap between different grades) and differentiating between gliomas and tumors of other origin. Some studies showed features of relaxometric values within the perifocal infiltrative edema zone possibly related to glioma infiltrative growth. We separately reviewed the works aimed at searching for the most aggressive and malignant foci in glioma tissue and extremely useful for tumor biopsy or removal. No less important are capabilities of relaxometry in radiogenomics, first of all, in IDH status prediction. The relaxometric method possesses perspective in multiparametric brain glioma diagnostics.