Fast diffusion tensor imaging and tractography of the whole cervical spinal cord using point spread function...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is valuable for spinal cord studies.
• Susceptibility-induced field inhomogeneities cause image distortions, limiting DTI's use in small spinal cord volumes.
• Accurate imaging is crucial for understanding spinal cord anatomy and pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the point spread function (PSF) for echo-planar imaging (EPI) in the human cervical spinal cord.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of PSF mapping in correcting image distortions.
• To enable full cervical tractography in individuals with and without spinal cord injury.

Main Methods:

• Point spread function mapping was performed for an EPI sequence in the human cervical spinal cord.
• Isotropic resolution and a large field of view were utilized.
• PSF correction was applied to improve anatomical consistency.

Main Results:

• PSF mapping successfully corrected distortions in cervical spinal cord DTI.
• Full cervical tractography was achieved from a C1 seed region in healthy controls and an individual with spinal cord injury.
• Improved anatomical consistency was observed post-correction.

Conclusions:

• PSF mapping is an effective method for reducing susceptibility artifacts in spinal cord DTI.
• This technique can enhance anatomical accuracy and enable detailed tractography.
• PSF mapping can be combined with other artifact reduction methods or used in high-field imaging.