Skeletal muscle diffusion tensor-MRI fiber tracking: rationale, data acquisition and analysis methods, applications and future directions.
The mechanical functions of muscles involve the generation of force and the actuation of movement by shortening or lengthening under load. These functions are influenced, in part, by the internal arrangement of muscle fibers with respect to the muscle's mechanical line of action. This property is known as muscle architecture. In this review, we describe the use of diffusion tensor (DT)-MRI muscle fiber tracking for the study of muscle architecture. In the first section, the importance of skeletal muscle architecture to function is discussed. In addition, traditional and complementary methods for the assessment of muscle architecture (brightness-mode ultrasound imaging and cadaver analysis) are presented. Next, DT-MRI is introduced and the structural basis for the reduced and anisotropic diffusion of water in muscle is discussed. The third section discusses issues related to the acquisition of skeletal muscle DT-MRI data and presents recommendations for optimal strategies. The fourth section discusses methods for the pre-processing of DT-MRI data, the available approaches for the calculation of the diffusion tensor and the seeding and propagating of fiber tracts, and the analysis of the tracking results to measure structural properties pertinent to muscle biomechanics. Lastly, examples are presented of how DT-MRI fiber tracking has been used to provide new insights into how muscles function, and important future research directions are highlighted. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.|Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.|Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Bruce M
BM
Damon
Department of Radiology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Martijn
M
Froeling
Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.|Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Amanda K W
AK
Buck
Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Jos
J
Oudeman
Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.|Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.|Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Zhaohua
Z
Ding
Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Aart J
AJ
Nederveen
Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Emily C
EC
Bush
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Gustav J
GJ
Strijkers
D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
diffusion MRI; muscle architecture; muscle mechanics; non-invasive; skeletal muscle