Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026
07:00
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Chronic Spinal Cord Compression
Published on: May 7, 2019
Trigeminal neuralgia due to neurovascular compression: high-spatial-resolution diffusion-tensor imaging reveals
Juergen Lutz1, Jennifer Linn, Jan H Mehrkens
1Departments of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Marchioninistrasse 5, 81377 Munich, Germany. Juergen.Lutz@med.uni-muenchen.de
Radiology
|November 11, 2010
Summary
Diffusion-tensor imaging detects microstructural changes in trigeminal nerves affected by trigeminal neuralgia (TN). This technique quantifies nerve tissue anisotropy, aiding in diagnosis before surgery.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Radiology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a debilitating condition often caused by neurovascular compression.
- Accurate preoperative assessment of trigeminal nerve microstructural integrity is crucial for surgical planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) for detecting microstructural changes in trigeminal nerves in patients with TN due to neurovascular compression.
- To correlate DTI findings with surgical outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a 3.0-T MRI scanner with a diffusion-tensor echo-planar imaging sequence (b=1000 s/mm², 15 directions, 2 mm slice thickness).
- Acquired 0.6-mm isotropic 3D fast imaging employing steady-state (FIESTA) images for coregistration with DTI.
- Calculated mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values for trigeminal nerves in 20 TN patients and compared with surgical findings.
Main Results:
- Significantly lower FA values were observed in TN-affected trigeminal nerves compared to the contralateral side (P = .004).
- Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values showed no significant difference between affected and unaffected nerves.
- DTI enabled quantification of anisotropic changes in nerve tissue.
Conclusions:
- Diffusion-tensor imaging is effective in identifying and quantifying microstructural anisotropic changes in trigeminal nerves affected by TN.
- Coregistration of DTI with 3D FIESTA imaging provides excellent delineation of the cisternal segments of the trigeminal nerves, aiding preoperative assessment.
