skip to main content
Language:
Search Limited to: Search Limited to: Resource type Show Results with: Show Results with: Search type Index

Diffusion tensor imaging and T sub(2) relaxometry of bilateral lumbar nerve roots: feasibility of in-plane imaging

NMR in biomedicine, 2013-06, Vol.26 (6), p.630-637 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

ISSN: 0952-3480 ;EISSN: 1099-1492 ;DOI: 10.1002/nbm.2902

Full text available

Citations Cited by
  • Title:
    Diffusion tensor imaging and T sub(2) relaxometry of bilateral lumbar nerve roots: feasibility of in-plane imaging
  • Author: Karampinos, Dimitrios C ; Melkus, Gerd ; Shepherd, Timothy M ; Banerjee, Suchandrima ; Saritas, Emine U ; Shankaranarayanan, Ajit ; Hess, Christopher P ; Link, Thomas M ; Dillon, William P ; Majumdar, Sharmila
  • Subjects: Anisotropy
  • Is Part Of: NMR in biomedicine, 2013-06, Vol.26 (6), p.630-637
  • Description: Lower back pain is a common problem frequently encountered without specific biomarkers that correlate well with an individual patient's pain generators. MRI quantification of diffusion and T sub(2) relaxation properties may provide novel insight into the mechanical and inflammatory changes that occur in the lumbosacral nerve roots in patients with lower back pain. Accurate imaging of the spinal nerve roots is difficult because of their small caliber and oblique course in all three planes. Two-dimensional in-plane imaging of the lumbosacral nerve roots requires oblique coronal imaging with large field of view (FOV) in both dimensions, resulting in severe geometric distortions using single-shot echo planar imaging (EPI) techniques. The present work describes initial success using a reduced-FOV single-shot spin-echo EPI acquisition to obtain in-plane diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and T sub(2) mapping of the bilateral lumbar nerve roots at the L4 level of healthy subjects, minimizing partial volume effects, breathing artifacts and geometric distortions. A significant variation in DTI and T sub(2) mapping metrics is also reported along the course of the normal nerve root. The fractional anisotropy is statistically significantly lower in the dorsal root ganglia (0.287 plus or minus 0.068) than in more distal regions in the spinal nerve (0.402 plus or minus 0.040) (p<10 super(-5)). The T sub(2) relaxation value is statistically significantly higher in the dorsal root ganglia (78.0 plus or minus 11.9ms) than in more distal regions in the spinal nerve (59.5 plus or minus 7.4ms) (p<10 super(-5)). The quantification of nerve root DTI and T sub(2) properties using the proposed methodology may identify the specific site of any degenerative and inflammatory changes along the nerve roots of patients with lower back pain. Copyright copyright 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The present work shows the feasibility of in-plane diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and T sub(2) mapping of the bilateral lumbar spinal nerve roots with reduced sensitivity to partial volume effects, breathing artifacts and geometric distortions, using a reduced-field-of-view single-shot echo planar imaging technique. The acquisition methodology employed can detect the spatial variation of DTI and T sub(2) relaxation metrics along the course of the nerve root, showing lower fractional anisotropy and higher T sub(2) relaxation values in the dorsal root ganglia than more distally along the spinal nerves.
  • Language: English
  • Identifier: ISSN: 0952-3480
    EISSN: 1099-1492
    DOI: 10.1002/nbm.2902
  • Source: Alma/SFX Local Collection
Back to results list
INSPIRE LIBRARY - TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY (84-028) 37 755 057 Feedback
19 Nguyen Huu Tho St. Dist.7, HCM thuvien@tdtu.edu.vn

Copyright © 2017 INSPIRE LIBRARY - TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY

Searching Remote Databases, Please Wait