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Feasibility of 7T MRI for imaging fascicular structures of peripheral nerves
Daehyun Yoon1, Sandip Biswal1, Brian Rutt1
1Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1201 Welch Road Stanford, California, 94305, USA.
Introduction:
Evaluation of the nerve fascicular structure can be useful in diagnosing nerve damage, but it is a very challenging task with 3T MRI because of limited resolution. In this pilot study, we present the feasibility of high-resolution 7T MRI for examining the nerve fascicular structure.
Methods:
A 3-dimensional (3D) gradient-spoiled sequence was used for imaging peripheral nerves in extremities. Images acquired with different in-plane resolutions (0.42 × 0.42 mm vs. 0.12 × 0.12 mm), and different main field strengths (7T vs. 3T) were compared.
Results:
The individual nerve fascicles were identified at 0.12 × 0.12 mm resolution in both field strengths but not at 0.42 × 0.42 mm resolution. The fascicular structure was more sharply depicted in 7T images than in 3T images.
Discussion:
High-resolution 3D imaging with 7T MRI demonstrated feasibility for imaging nerve fascicular structures. Muscle Nerve 57: 494-498, 2018.
