Abstract #3132
Axial single-shot EPI Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the human spinal cord
Rossi C, Steidle G, Boss A, Claussen C, Martirosian P, Schick F
University of Tbingen, La Sapienza University
An optimized DTI protocol with single-shot EPI readout for the acquisition of axial slices of the human spinal cord is proposed. The quality of the acquired images and the parametrical maps was improved by systematically acting on the imaging parameters in order to join a higher spatial resolution with a good signal-to-noise ratio. The fractional anisotropy (FA) maps show the characteristic butterfly shape of the gray matter with an in plane resolution of 0.9x0.9 mm2. FA of (0.7840.040) and (0.5320.031) were found for white matter and gray matter, respectively.
