Diffusion tensor imaging in spinal cord compression.
BACKGROUND
Although diffusion tensor imaging has been successfully applied in brain research for decades, several main difficulties have hindered its extended utilization in spinal cord imaging.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the feasibility and clinical value of diffusion tensor imaging and tractography for evaluating chronic spinal cord compression.


METHODS
Single-shot spin-echo echo-planar DT sequences were scanned in 42 spinal cord compression patients and 49 healthy volunteers. The mean values of the apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy were measured in region of interest at the cervical and lower thoracic spinal cord. The patients were divided into two groups according to the high signal on T2WI (the SCC-HI group and the SCC-nHI group for with or without high signal). A one-way ANOVA was used. Diffusion tensor tractography was used to visualize the morphological features of normal and impaired white matter.


RESULTS
There were no statistically significant differences in the apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy values between the different spinal cord segments of the normal subjects. All of the patients in the SCC-HI group had increased apparent diffusion coefficient values and decreased fractional anisotropy values at the lesion level compared to the normal controls. However, there were no statistically significant diffusion index differences between the SCC-nHI group and the normal controls. In the diffusion tensor imaging maps, the normal spinal cord sections were depicted as fiber tracts that were color-encoded to a cephalocaudal orientation. The diffusion tensor images were compressed to different degrees in all of the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Diffusion tensor imaging and tractography are promising methods for visualizing spinal cord tracts and can provide additional information in clinical studies in spinal cord compresion.
Department of Radiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China. weiwang318@163.com
Wei
W
Wang
Wen
W
Qin
Nanxin
N
Hao
Yibin
Y
Wang
Genlin
G
Zong
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016880:Anisotropy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis