Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Brachial Plexus: A Comparison between Readout-segmented and Conventional Single-shot...

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Neuroimaging
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) enhances magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) by providing functional insights into the brachial plexus.
• Optimizing DTI pulse sequences is crucial for efficient and accurate clinical diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the image quality of simultaneous multi-slice readout-segmented DTI (rs-DTI) and conventional single-shot DTI (ss-DTI).
• To determine the most suitable DTI pulse sequence for routine clinical imaging of the brachial plexus within acceptable scan times.

Main Methods:

• 10 healthy volunteers underwent bilateral brachial plexus imaging using both rs-DTI and ss-DTI sequences.
• Acquisitions were performed in under 7 minutes with isotropic resolution and b-values of 900 s/mm².
• Image quality, artifacts, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were assessed.

Main Results:

• rs-DTI demonstrated significantly higher overall image quality and lower distortion artifacts compared to ss-DTI (P = 0.001-0.002).
• ss-DTI showed a trend towards fewer ghosting and motion artifacts, though not statistically significant (P > 0.121).
• No significant differences were observed in SNR, CNR, or FA between the two techniques (P > 0.169).

Conclusions:

• rs-DTI provides superior image quality and reduced artifacts for brachial plexus MRN compared to ss-DTI.
• Despite a trend towards more motion artifacts, rs-DTI's performance is not significantly compromised.
• rs-DTI is a viable and recommended technique for functional MRN of the brachial plexus in clinical practice.