Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study of Patterns of Tract Involvement in Diffuse Pontine Gliomas

Hoang-Vu Doan Tran^1,2, Matthew Scoggins¹, Robert Ogg¹, Nicholas Phillips¹, Kathleen Helton¹, Zoltan Patay¹, Alberto Broniscer¹, Claudia Hillenbrand¹

Diffuse pontine gliomas are a heterogeneous group of lesions that account for 15% of all pediatric central nervous system tumors. Conventional MR imaging allows for the assessment of tumor location and focality but does little in terms of assessing tumor involvement in different tract compartments. This is the first study. We saw tumor involvement in tracts. The tract involvement and the ADC parameter seem to be a predictor of clinical outcome. This is an ongoing trial and we are in the process of acquiring and analyzing a larger number of patient exams in order to further assess the relationship of treatment effectiveness and tract involvement in pediatric pontine tumors.