title: Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Normal Cervical and Thoracic Pediatric Spinal Cord.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  DTI data of the normal healthy spinal cord in children are limited compared with adults and are typically focused on the cervical spinal cord. The purpose of this study was the following: to investigate the feasibility of obtaining repeatable DTI parameters along the entire cervical and thoracic spinal cord as a function of age in typically developing pediatric subjects; to analyze the DTI parameters among different transverse levels of the cervical and thoracic spinal cord; and to examine the sex differences in DTI parameters along the cervical and thoracic spinal cord.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two subjects underwent 2 identical scans by using a 3T MR imaging scanner. Axial diffusion tensor images were acquired by using 2 overlapping slabs to cover the cervical and thoracic spinal cord. After postprocessing, DTI parameters were calculated by using ROIs drawn on the whole cord along the entire spinal cord for both scans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An increase in fractional anisotropy and a decrease in mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity were observed with age along the entire spinal cord. Significantly lower fractional anisotropy and higher mean diffusivity values were observed in the lower cervical cord compared with the upper cervical cord. Axial diffusivity values in the cervical cord were higher compared with the thoracic cord. No statistically significant sex differences were observed for all DTI parameters. There was a moderate-to-strong repeatability for all DTI parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides an initial understanding of DTI values of the spinal cord relevant to age and sex and shows that obtaining repeatable DTI values of the entire cord in children is feasible.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Radiology (S.S., F.B.M.).
authors.forename: S
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0003-6543
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saksena
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology (D.M.M., P.S., S.H.F.), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: D M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6437-2159
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.affiliation: Occupational Therapy (L.K., R.S., M.J.M.), Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: L
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7345-4922
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krisa
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology (D.M.M., P.S., S.H.F.), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: P
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3774-6223
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology (D.M.M., P.S., S.H.F.), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: S H
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0027-8806
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Faro
authors.affiliation: Occupational Therapy (L.K., R.S., M.J.M.), Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: R
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5410-4732
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sinko
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Consulting Center (J.G.), Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: J
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7798-2047
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gaughan
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Neuroscience (J.F.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6077-8119
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finsterbusch
authors.affiliation: Occupational Therapy (L.K., R.S., M.J.M.), Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: M J
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0837-714X
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mulcahey
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Radiology (S.S., F.B.M.) Feroze.Mohamed@jefferson.edu.
authors.forename: F B
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0764-0612
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Mohamed