Onder Turna1, Isil Fazilet Turna2. 1. Department of Radiology, Istanbul Mehmet Akif Ersoy Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. onderturna@gmail.com. 2. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University Atakent Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Abstract
PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the mean values of diffusion tensor tracking (DTT) of cervical spinal cord in normal subjects by using multi-shot EPI (MS-EPI) sequence in 3.0 Tesla (3.0T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: This retrospective study included 96 healthy subjects. DTI with b-values: 0 and 1000 s/mm2 was performed. Cervical spinal cords were quantitatively evaluated with drawing round or plane region of interest on sagittal images. For all subjects, the number of tracts, mean fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), mean axial diffusivity (AD) and mean radial diffusivity (RD) (× 10-3 mm2/s) were measured. RESULTS: The number of tracts obtained from round method was significantly higher than the ones from plane method. In round group, there was a moderate positive correlation between age and mean FA values (r = 0.51, P = 0.003), a weak negative correlation between age and MD values (r = - 0.497, P = 0.004) and between age and mean AD values (r = - 0.443, P = 0.011), a moderate negative correlation between age and mean RD values (r = - 0.542, P = 0.001). In plane group, there was a weak positive correlation between age and mean FA values (r = 0.403, P = 0.022) and a weak negative correlation between age and mean RD values (r = - 0.402, P = 0.022). CONCLUSION: Our results might be helpful for emphasizing the reference values and also for evaluating and comparing the pathologic spinal cords affected by degeneration, trauma or tumors.
PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the mean values of diffusion tensor tracking (DTT) of cervical spinal cord in normal subjects by using multi-shot EPI (MS-EPI) sequence in 3.0 Tesla (3.0T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: This retrospective study included 96 healthy subjects. DTI with b-values: 0 and 1000 s/mm2 was performed. Cervical spinal cords were quantitatively evaluated with drawing round or plane region of interest on sagittal images. For all subjects, the number of tracts, mean fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), mean axial diffusivity (AD) and mean radial diffusivity (RD) (× 10-3 mm2/s) were measured. RESULTS: The number of tracts obtained from round method was significantly higher than the ones from plane method. In round group, there was a moderate positive correlation between age and mean FA values (r = 0.51, P = 0.003), a weak negative correlation between age and MD values (r = - 0.497, P = 0.004) and between age and mean AD values (r = - 0.443, P = 0.011), a moderate negative correlation between age and mean RD values (r = - 0.542, P = 0.001). In plane group, there was a weak positive correlation between age and mean FA values (r = 0.403, P = 0.022) and a weak negative correlation between age and mean RD values (r = - 0.402, P = 0.022). CONCLUSION: Our results might be helpful for emphasizing the reference values and also for evaluating and comparing the pathologic spinal cords affected by degeneration, trauma or tumors.