title: Diffusion tensor imaging of peripheral nerve in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: a feasibility study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical feasibility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for the evaluation of peripheral nerves in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging scanner, we obtained DTI scans of the tibial nerves of 10 CIDP patients and 10 sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers. We prepared fractional anisotropy (FA) maps, measured the FA values of tibial nerves, and compared these values in the two study groups. In nine patients, we also performed tibial nerve conduction studies and analyzed the correlation between the FA values and parameters of the nerve conduction study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tibial nerve FA values in CIDP patients (median 0.401, range 0.312-0.510) were significantly lower than those in healthy volunteers (median 0.530, range 0.469-0.647) (Mann-Whitney test, p < 0.01). They were significantly correlated with the amplitude of action potential (Spearman correlation coefficient, p = 0.04, r = 0.86) but not with nerve conduction velocity (p = 0.79, r = 0.11).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our preliminary data suggest that the noninvasive DTI assessment of peripheral nerves may provide useful information in patients with CIDP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan.
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kakuda
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanitame
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takasu
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Date
authors.forename: Kazuhide
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ochi
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohshita
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kohriyama
authors.forename: Katsuhide
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Masayasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Awai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020277:Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013979:Tibial Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D020429:Tibial Neuropathy / Q000473:pathology*