Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an established MRI technique for the interrogation of directionality and microstructural integrity of white matter tracts in the brain and, to a lesser extent, spinal cord. In recent years DTI for the interrogation of peripheral nerves has become an area of research interest.
We present our single center experience in developing an MRI protocol for DTI of lumbar spinal nerves, including pitfalls encountered and technical recommendations for other researchers considering adopting this technique.
Our scans were performed on a Siemens 3T Magnetom Vida with 30 and 64 gradient directions acquired for each patient with a single b value for diffusion weighted images of 800s/mm^2, and four b0 reference images. Post processing utilized a custom workflow developed in Matlab 2019b. Total diffusion imaging acquisition time varied between 7 and 13 minutes depending on acquisition parameters selected.
We will present our entire workflow from acquisition to final results, and sample pre- and post-processed images of the first five patients enrolled in a pilot study at our institution, and possible future directions for this technique at our institution.