Preoperative diagnosis of lymph node metastasis is important in determining the optimal therapy for rectal cancer. It has been shown that diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is a useful tool for detecting malignant tumors.
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, The Tazuke-Kofukai Medical Research Institute, Kitano Hospital, 2-4-20, Ohgimachi, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-8480, Japan.