Abstract #3100

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Median Nerve Region at the Carpal Tunnel in Various Clinical Settings

Eiko Yamabe¹, Ryo Miyagi², Toshinori Sakai³, Toshiyasu Nakamura⁴, Hiroshi Yoshioka¹

¹Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA, United States; ²Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Miyoshi City National Insurance Nishi-Iya Clinic, Tokushima, Japan; ³Department of Orthopedics, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan; ⁴Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

We qualitatively visualized the median nerve with diffusion tensor imaging in various acquisition positions/parameters and quantitatively investigated changes in diffusion values (FA, ADC) of the median nerve at different locations of the carpal tunnel in healthy volunteers. The median nerve at the carpal tunnel including a small nerve fiber such as a motor branch was well appreciated on fiber tracking images. Comparable fiber tracking images and FA/ADC values were obtained in supine and prone positions without any statistical differences. These results show a potential for their clinical use.