Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The appearance of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) technology provides new methods to show tiny structure of peripheral nerves and quantitative analysis.
OBJECTIVE: To prospectively analyze the possibility of DTI and DTT on the proximal sciatic nerve of normal adults and their optimal parameters.
METHODS: The bilateral sciatic nerves from 28 healthy volunteers were preformed with DTI and DTT through single-shot spin-echo-echo-planar technique, the b value was 1 200, 1 400 and 1 600 s/mm2 respectively.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 26 cases were successful reconstructed by DTI and DTT, and the success rate was 93%. The proximal sciatic nerve could show clearly on the DTT map and better integrated with the anatomical images on T1WI. The right and left sciatic nerve had the same dispersion characteristics, with the b value increased, the signal to noise ratio (SNR) was gradually reduced. Longest fibers, maximum SNR and fiber density index were found at b values of 1 200 s/mm2 and the maximum SNR was 142.72±32.25. There was no significant difference of the diffusion tensor parameters in different b values, and there was nosignifiant difference of diffusion tensor parameters between bilateral sciatic nerves (P > 0.05). It indicates that the DTI and DTT on the proximal sciatic nerve of normal adults are feasible. DTI and DTT can show the diffusion characteristics and architecture of the sciatic nerves, and the optimal b value is 1 200 s/mm2.