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Magnetic resonance diffusion imaging of the human cervical spinal cord in vivo
Author(s) -
Clark Chris A.,
Barker Gareth J.,
Tofts Paul S.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-2594(199906)41:6<1269::aid-mrm26>3.0.co;2-2
Subject(s) - spinal cord , magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance , in vivo , diffusion , spin echo , cord , diffusion mri , medicine , biomedical engineering , radiology , physics , biology , surgery , microbiology and biotechnology , psychiatry , thermodynamics
Knowledge of water diffusion characteristics within the human spinal cord may provide important information about the structural nature of spinal cord pathology. However, the sensitivity of diffusion imaging methods to motion and the requirement for high in‐plane resolution has hitherto restricted study of spinal cord diffusion to excised samples. The first diffusion images of the human cervical spinal cord in vivo are presented using a navigated pulsed‐gradient spin‐echo sequence. Anisotropic diffusion in the cord is demonstrated in agreement with in vitro studies, and further development of the technique for clinical studies is discussed. Magn Reson Med 41:1269–1273, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.