Fiber tracking in the cervical spine and inferior brain regions with reversed gradient diffusion tensor imaging.

Publication Type Academic Article
Authors Voss H, Watts R, Uluğ A, Ballon D
Journal Magn Reson Imaging
Volume 24
Issue 3
Pagination 231-9
Date Published 01/27/2006
ISSN 0730-725X
Keywords Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nerve Fibers, Myelinated, Spinal Cord
Abstract Diffusion tensor echo planar magnetic resonance imaging of the inferior brain regions and the spinal cord suffers from tissue-air and tissue-bone interfaces, which cause severe susceptibility-induced artifacts. These artifacts consist of image distortions in the phase encode direction and also affect signal intensity. To correct for these distortions, we used the reversed gradient method. We find that most in-plane voxel displacements in the inferior brain regions and the cervical spine can be corrected, yielding a good match of white matter fiber tracts with anatomical reference images. Furthermore, uninterrupted white matter fiber tracts going from the cervical spine up to cortical areas, derived from data acquired in a single acquisition, are presented.
DOI 10.1016/j.mri.2005.12.007
PubMed ID 16563951
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