title: Peripheral neuropathy: assessment of proximal nerve integrity by diffusion tensor imaging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We investigated the utility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for detecting neuropathic changes in proximal nerve segments in patients with peripheral neuropathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one individuals with (n = 11) and without (n = 10) peripheral neuropathy underwent DTI of a defined sciatic nerve segment. Patients and controls were evaluated by clinical examination and nerve conduction studies at baseline and 6 months after the initial DTI scan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean fractional anisotropy (FA) value was significantly lower in sciatic nerves from patients with peripheral neuropathy as compared with controls. Sciatic nerve FA values correlated with clinical disability scores and electrophysiological parameters of axonal damage at baseline and 6 months after MRI scan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DTI-derived FA values are a sensitive measure to discriminate healthy from functionally impaired human sciatic nerve segments. DTI of proximal nerve segments may be useful for estimating the proximal axonal degeneration burden in patients with peripheral neuropathies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mathys
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aissa
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meyer Zu Hörste
authors.forename: Dorothea C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Reichelt
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Antoch
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Turowski
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Hartung
authors.forename: Kazim A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: Helmar C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lehmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016880:Anisotropy; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
keywords: axonal degeneration; diagnostic; diffusion tensor imaging; imaging; magnetic resonance imaging; polyneuropathy