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Abstract #4348

Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Optic Neuritis and Its Recovery

Nourhan Zayed1, Fiona Costello2, Michael Smith3,4, Bradley Goodyear, 23

1Electrical and Computer Engineering , University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 2Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 3Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 4Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada


Appropriate DTI measures to characterize the presence and severity of optic neuritis (ON) as well as its recovery are not established. We hypothesized that the optic nerve experiencing ON may not actually exhibit significantly different FA or ADC from that of the unaffected eye or over the course of recovery. Instead, we predicted that ON is characterized by a greater distribution of FA and ADC, suggesting that acute ON is associated with more heterogeneous diffusion within the optic nerve. Variability of DTI measures, rather than means, may be a more sensitive indicator of the presence of ON and its recovery.

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