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Abstract #0353

Diffusion Tensor Imaging Tractography for Diagnosing Traumatic Brachial Plexus Root Avulsions: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Ryckie George Wade1,2, Steven Tanner3, John P Ridgway3, James J Rankine3, Irvin Teh4, David Shelley5, Brian Chaka6, and Grainne Bourke3

1Leeds Institute of Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, 2Department of Plastic and Recosntructive Surgery, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom, 3Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom, 4Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, 5Advanced Imaging Centre, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, 6Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

Due to limitations in the accuracy of clinical MRI, adults with traumatic brachial plexus injuries (BPI) undergo major exploratory surgery to define their injury. Early exploration and reconstruction restores limb function and improves quality of life. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography offers the potential to replace exploratory surgery by assessing the continuity of the roots of the brachial plexus. Twenty healthy adults were used for sequence development on a 3 Tesla system and the protocol validated on 12 patients with known patterns of BPI. DTI reliably reconstructs the normal and injured brachial plexus with high fidelity and superior diagnostic accuracy.

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