title: Microstructural changes are coincident with the improvement of clinical symptoms in surgically treated compressed nerve roots.
abstract: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been widely used to visualize peripheral nerves, but the microstructure of compressed nerve roots can be assessed using DTI. However, there are no data regarding the association among microstructural changes evaluated using DTI, the symptoms assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the duration of symptoms after surgery in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Thirty patients with unilateral radiculopathy were investigated using DTI. The changes in the mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values as well as the correlation between these changes and the severity and duration of the clinical symptoms were investigated before and at least one month after surgery. The FA values were significantly increased after surgical treatment (p < 0.0001). Both the ADC and ODI values were noticeably decreased (p < 0.0001). A strong positive correlation between the preoperative and postoperative DTI parameters (p < 0.0001) as well as between the preoperative ODI and postoperative ODI/ODI changes (p < 0.0001) were found. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the changes in the DTI parameters and changes in the ODI (p < 0.0001). This preliminary study suggests it may be possible to use DTI to diagnose, quantitatively evaluate and follow-up patients with LDH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, the People's Hospital of Three Gorges University the First People's Hospital of Yichang, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Weifei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, the People's Hospital of Three Gorges University the First People's Hospital of Yichang, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, the People's Hospital of Three Gorges University the First People's Hospital of Yichang, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, the People's Hospital of Three Gorges University the First People's Hospital of Yichang, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Aihua
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, the People's Hospital of Three Gorges University the First People's Hospital of Yichang, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Yongde
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, the People's Hospital of Three Gorges University the First People's Hospital of Yichang, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Zong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000648:ultrastructure