Diffusion Tensor Imaging Adds Diagnostic Accuracy in Magnetic Resonance Neurography.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Neuroscience
• Radiology

Background:

• Peripheral polyneuropathy affects nerve function and can be challenging to diagnose.
• Magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) is a key imaging technique for evaluating peripheral nerves.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of quantitative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in peripheral polyneuropathy.
• To determine if DTI adds diagnostic value to standard MRN.

Main Methods:

• 16 patients with peripheral polyneuropathy and 30 healthy controls underwent 3 T MRN.
• Quantitative DTI parameters (FA, ADC, RD, AD) and T2-weighted normalized signal (nT2) were measured for key nerves.
• Diagnostic performance was assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analysis.

Main Results:

• DTI parameters (increased ADC, RD, AD; decreased FA) and nT2 were significantly different between patients and controls (P < 0.001).
• Individual parameters showed high diagnostic accuracy (adjusted AUCs 0.84–0.92).
• Combining DTI parameters improved accuracy, and combining nT2 with DTI parameters yielded excellent AUCs up to 0.97 (nT2 + FA).

Conclusions:

• Quantitative DTI is a highly accurate tool for diagnosing peripheral neuropathy.
• Combining DTI parameters with T2-weighted imaging offers superior diagnostic performance compared to T2-weighted imaging alone in MRN.