[Diagnostic criteria in MR neurography]

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Peripheral neuropathies are common but challenging to diagnose precisely.
• Clinical examination and electrophysiology are standard but sometimes insufficient for localization.
• Nerve imaging offers valuable supplementary diagnostic information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the role of Magnetic Resonance Neurography (MRN) in diagnosing peripheral neuropathies.
• To detail the diagnostic criteria and applications of MRN in complex nerve lesions.
• To establish MRN as a key imaging modality when other diagnostic tools are inconclusive.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing T2-weighted fat-saturated pulse sequences with high in-plane resolution for MRN.
• Assessing increased T2-weighted signals, nerve caliber, and contrast uptake as diagnostic indicators.
• Analyzing the spatial pattern of nerve lesions for classification.

Main Results:

• MRN detects increased T2-weighted signals, a sensitive sign of nerve lesions.
• Established criteria like nerve caliber and lesion patterns aid diagnosis.
• MRN proves particularly valuable for complex cases like traumatic plexopathies and partial fascicular neuropathies.

Conclusions:

• MRN is the preferred imaging method for diagnostically complex peripheral neuropathy cases.
• It provides essential localization of nerve lesions when clinical examination, electrophysiology, and sonography are insufficient.
• MRN demonstrates significant value in diagnosing intricate nerve pathologies and various other indications.