What is diffusion tensor imaging?

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a technique that detects how water travels along the white matter tracts in the brain (Fig. 2). White-matter tracts connect different parts of the brain and must be protected during surgery.

What is diffusion tensor imaging for dummies?

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a newly developed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that analyzes the anatomy of nerve cells and a complex neuronal network of the brain.

How does a DTI work?

DTI is a sensitive probe of cellular structure that works by measuring the diffusion of water molecules. The measured quantity is the diffusivity or diffusion coefficient, a proportionality constant that relates diffusive flux to a concentration gradient [8] and has units of m m 2 s .

What is diffusion tensor in physics?

15.2. Geometrically, a diffusion tensor can be thought of as an ellipsoid with its three axes oriented along the tensor’s three perpendicular eigenvectors and semi-axis lengths proportional to the square root of eigenvalues of the tensor – mean diffusion distances [1].

Is diffusion tensor imaging a structural neuroimaging technique?

Neuroimaging techniques such as functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) enable in vivo assessment of the spatial and temporal pattern of functional and structural changes inside and outside ischemic lesion areas.

What can DTI detect?

DTI with fiber tractography can reveal the integrity of the spinal cord and provide information about pathophysiology. Fibers in the spinal cord are known to be displaced in slow-growing processes such as tumors, whereas more-acute changes such as trauma disrupt fiber integrity.

What is diffusion tractography?

Diffusion tractography uses non-invasive brain imaging data to trace fibre bundles in the human brain in vivo. This raises immediate possibilities for clinical application but responsible use of this approach requires careful consideration of the scope and limitations of the technique.

What is DTI white matter?

DTI is an MRI technique that assesses the directionality and motion of water molecules and provides images of white matter tracts within the central nervous system (CNS).

Is diffusion tensor imaging functional?

How long is diffusion tensor imaging?

To acquire DTI data covering the entire brain with high and reliable quality, a sequence takes between 5 and 10 min, which is relatively long compared to structural sequences such as T1-weighted and T2-weighted sequences.

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