title: 3T PROPELLER diffusion tensor fiber tractography: a feasibility study for cranial nerve fiber tracking.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER)-based diffusion tensor fiber tractography (DTT) at 3T to visualize infratentorial small fiber structures that cannot be visualized adequately using a conventional single shot echo planar imaging (ssEPI)-based pulse sequence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four healthy male volunteers were examined in this study. Diffusion tensor images were acquired on a 3T clinical magnetic resonance scanner using PROPELLER and echo planar imaging sequences in six motion-probing gradient orientations. Fiber tracking results for the trigeminal and auditory nerves were compared quantitatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The trigeminal nerve tract was successfully reconstructed using both acquisition methods (100%). Among these reconstructed tracts, 62.5% of the tracts on PROPELLER-DTT and 25% on ssEPI-DTT were followed to branches beyond the trigeminal ganglion. The reconstructed auditory nerve tract could be identified on PROPELER-DTT (62.5%), whereas no tract or only a short tract was obtained on ssEPI-DTT (37.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  3T PROPELLER-DTT is useful for visualizing infratentorial small neurofiber structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. hkabasaw-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kabasawa
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Masutani
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masumoto
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Kuni
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtomo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003391:Cranial Nerves / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009412:Nerve Fibers