Diffusion tensor imaging of the sural nerve in normal controls

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Sural nerve assessment is crucial for diagnosing peripheral neuropathies.
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) offers advanced capabilities for visualizing nerve microstructure.
• Standardized DTI protocols are needed for reliable sural nerve evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) protocol for imaging the sural nerve.
• To establish normative diffusion parameters for the sural nerve in healthy subjects.
• To assess the feasibility of using DTI for non-invasive sural nerve examination.

Main Methods:

• DTI scans of sural nerves were performed on 25 healthy controls at 3T.
• Imaging utilized 6, 15, and 32 gradient directions with specific coronal resolution (0.5x2.0x0.5 mm³).
• Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated from nerve regions of interest.

Main Results:

• The developed DTI protocol successfully localized the sural nerve.
• FA maps demonstrated reduced variability with 32 gradient directions (0.559 ± 0.071) compared to 15 (0.590 ± 0.080) and 6 (0.659 ± 0.109).
• Normative FA and ADC values were established for the healthy sural nerve.

Conclusions:

• The DTI protocol is effective for imaging the sural nerve in healthy controls.
• This protocol provides a basis for establishing normative FA/ADC values.
• The DTI approach holds potential for non-invasive assessment of diseased sural nerves in patients.