title: Peripheral nerve tractography in soft tissue tumors: a preliminary 3-tesla diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) study aimed to clarify the relationship of peripheral nerves and soft tissue tumors (STTs) in 3D to optimize subsequent treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six consecutive STT patients (histologically malignant, n=10; intermediate, n=3; and benign, n=13) underwent 3-Tesla MRI using an echoplanar DTI sequence. Deterministic tractography was performed. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were measured within peritumoral and distant regions of interest.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tractography depicted the 3D course of the sciatic (n=12), femoral (n=2), tibial (n=7), fibular (n=2), median (n=1), musculocutaneous (n=1), and ulnar (n=1) nerves in a regular (n=8 of 18, 44.4%) or thinned (n=7 of 18, 38.9%) fashion. The lowest peritumoral FA values, abrupt thinning, and/or complete discontinuity of trajectories were found in 2 cases with histologically proven tumoral nerve infiltration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DTI clarifies the 3D topography between major peripheral nerves and STTs and may be helpful in the assessment of peripheral nerve infiltration by malignant tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kasprian
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amann
authors.forename: Joannis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Panotopoulos
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dominkus
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trattnig
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Windhager
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prayer
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nöbauer-Huhmann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: diffusion tensor imaging; nerve lesion; peripheral nerve imaging; peripheral nerve tumors; schwannoma; soft tissue neoplasm