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3T PROPELLER diffusion tensor fiber tractography: a feasibility study for cranial nerve fiber tracking
Hiroyuki Kabasawa1, Yoshitaka Masutani, Shigeki Aoki
1Department of Radiology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. hkabasaw-tky@umin.ac.jp
Radiation Medicine
|November 21, 2007
Summary
Periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER)-based diffusion tensor fiber tractography (DTT) at 3T effectively visualizes small infratentorial neurofiber structures. This advanced technique surpasses conventional methods for detailed nerve imaging.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Background:
- Conventional single shot echo planar imaging (ssEPI) struggles to adequately visualize small infratentorial fiber structures.
- Advanced imaging techniques are needed to improve the visualization of delicate neural pathways in the brainstem.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of 3T PROPELLER-based diffusion tensor fiber tractography (DTT) for visualizing infratentorial small fiber structures.
- To compare PROPELLER-DTT with conventional ssEPI-DTT for imaging cranial nerves.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion tensor images were acquired from four healthy male volunteers using both PROPELLER and ssEPI sequences at 3T.
- Fiber tracking of the trigeminal and auditory nerves was performed and quantitatively compared between the two methods.
Main Results:
- Both PROPELLER-DTT and ssEPI-DTT successfully reconstructed the trigeminal nerve tract.
- PROPELLER-DTT achieved visualization of branches beyond the trigeminal ganglion in 62.5% of cases, compared to 25% for ssEPI-DTT.
- The auditory nerve tract was identified using PROPELLER-DTT (62.5%), while ssEPI-DTT yielded only short or no identifiable tracts (37.5%).
Conclusions:
- 3T PROPELLER-DTT is a valuable tool for visualizing small infratentorial neurofiber structures.
- PROPELLER-based DTT offers superior performance compared to ssEPI for imaging delicate nerve tracts in the posterior cranial fossa.
