Abstract #0942

Visualization and Quantitative Evaluation of Lumbar Nerve Roots Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

Yasuhiro OIkawa¹, Yawara Eguchi¹, Seiji Ohtori¹, Sumihisa Orita¹, Kazuyo Yamauchi¹, Miyako Suzuki¹, Yoshihiro Sakuma¹, Go Kubota¹, Kazuhide Inage¹, Takeshi Saino¹, HIrotaka Sato², Hiroki Ando², Masatoshi Kojima², Kenichiro Okumura², Yoshitada Masuda², Atsuya Watanabe³, Kazuhisa Takahashi¹

¹Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan; ²Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan; ³Orthopaedic Surgery, Teikyou University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Chiba, Japan

DTI and DTT have been reported as novel imaging tools for a quantitative nerve evaluation. The purpose of this study was to visualize and evaluate the lumbar nerve root quantitatively using DTI and DTT. Thirty-four patients were evaluate with DTI. This study demonstrates that tractography shows nerve roots and spinal nerve roots clearly in asymptomatic nerves, and shows abnormal findings in lumbar spinal degenerative disease. DTI may offer not only morphological evaluation but also quantitative evaluation. We believe that DTI is a potential tool for the diagnosis of lumbar spinal degenerative disease.