Thoracic and lumbar spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging in dogs.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze four clinically applicable diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) protocols (two each in the transverse and sagittal planes) in the normal dog.


METHODS
Seven healthy Dachshund dogs were scanned with four DTI protocols. Within each plane, identical spatial resolution was used while the number of diffusion-encoding directions and averages varied. Agreement of measured fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was analyzed with Bland-Altman methods, subjective image quality within each plane was compared, and FA and ADC were explored as a function of anatomic location.


RESULTS
There was good agreement in FA and ADC values within each plane. FA had the smallest bias and most precision. No difference was detected in subjective image quality within each plane. FA and ADC were slightly higher cranial to the lumbar intumescence compared to within it.


CONCLUSIONS
DTI is a promising tool in the assessment of spinal cord injury (SCI) in the study of dogs with intervertebral disk herniation as a preclinical model of human SCI.
Department of Veterinary Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. jgriffin@cvm.tamu.edu
John F
JF
Griffin
Noah D
ND
Cohen
Benjamin D
BD
Young
Bunita M
BM
Eichelberger
Abraham
A
Padua
David
D
Purdy
Jonathan M
JM
Levine
D000818:Animals; D016880:Anisotropy; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*