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3T PROPELLER diffusion tensor fiber tractography: a feasibility study for cranial nerve fiber tracking

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER)-based diffusion tensor fiber tractography (DTT) at 3T to visualize infratentorial small fiber structures that cannot be visualized adequately using a conventional single shot echo planar imaging (ssEPI)-based pulse sequence.

Materials and methods

Four healthy male volunteers were examined in this study. Diffusion tensor images were acquired on a 3T clinical magnetic resonance scanner using PROPELLER and echo planar imaging sequences in six motion-probing gradient orientations. Fiber tracking results for the trigeminal and auditory nerves were compared quantitatively.

Results

The trigeminal nerve tract was successfully reconstructed using both acquisition methods (100%). Among these reconstructed tracts, 62.5% of the tracts on PROPELLER-DTT and 25% on ssEPI-DTT were followed to branches beyond the trigeminal ganglion. The reconstructed auditory nerve tract could be identified on PROPELER-DTT (62.5%), whereas no tract or only a short tract was obtained on ssEPI-DTT (37.5%).

Conclusion

3T PROPELLER-DTT is useful for visualizing infratentorial small neurofiber structures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan

    Hiroyuki Kabasawa, Yoshitaka Masutani, Shigeki Aoki, Osamu Abe, Tomohiko Masumoto, Naoto Hayashi & Kuni Ohtomo

Authors
  1. Hiroyuki Kabasawa
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  2. Yoshitaka Masutani
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  3. Shigeki Aoki
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  4. Osamu Abe
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  5. Tomohiko Masumoto
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  6. Naoto Hayashi
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  7. Kuni Ohtomo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hiroyuki Kabasawa.

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Kabasawa, H., Masutani, Y., Aoki, S. et al. 3T PROPELLER diffusion tensor fiber tractography: a feasibility study for cranial nerve fiber tracking. Radiat Med 25, 462–466 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-007-0169-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-007-0169-8

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