Diffusion Tensor Imaging Aaron

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) provides a method of noninvasive tissue characterization that is unique and complementary to other imaging techniques. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and DTI-based fiber tracking (“tractography”) have enabled unprecedented, in vivo visualization of individual WM tracts and their relationships with cerebral pathology. DWI has already revolutionized the imaging of acute stroke and is now clinically routine; DTI and tractography are rapidly making their way into the clinical realm. The acquisition, post-processing and analysis of diffusion imaging data are technically complex with many steps, decisions and compromises to be made that affect the final result. Even if qualitative interpretation by a radiologist is the sole objective rather than quantitative analysis, a “black-box” approach to image production is ill-advised. As DTI and tractography make further inroads into clinical practice, an understanding of basic principles and applications is becoming increasingly important to neuroimaging specialists.