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Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2015; 19(04): 387-395
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1563736
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Tractography: Possible Applications in Musculoskeletal Radiology

Anne Cotten
1   Service de Radiologie et Imagerie Musculosquelettique, Centre de Consultations et d'Imagerie de l'Appareil Locomoteur (CCIAL), CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr Emile Laine, Lille Cedex, France
2   EA4490-PMOI, Université du Littoral-Côte d'Opale, Laboratoire de Physiopathologie des Maladies Osseuses Inflammatoires, Boulogne sur Mer Cedex, France
,
Farah Haddad
1   Service de Radiologie et Imagerie Musculosquelettique, Centre de Consultations et d'Imagerie de l'Appareil Locomoteur (CCIAL), CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr Emile Laine, Lille Cedex, France
,
Georges Hayek
1   Service de Radiologie et Imagerie Musculosquelettique, Centre de Consultations et d'Imagerie de l'Appareil Locomoteur (CCIAL), CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr Emile Laine, Lille Cedex, France
,
Guillaume Lefebvre
1   Service de Radiologie et Imagerie Musculosquelettique, Centre de Consultations et d'Imagerie de l'Appareil Locomoteur (CCIAL), CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr Emile Laine, Lille Cedex, France
,
Emilie Dodré
1   Service de Radiologie et Imagerie Musculosquelettique, Centre de Consultations et d'Imagerie de l'Appareil Locomoteur (CCIAL), CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr Emile Laine, Lille Cedex, France
,
Jean-François Budzik
1   Service de Radiologie et Imagerie Musculosquelettique, Centre de Consultations et d'Imagerie de l'Appareil Locomoteur (CCIAL), CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr Emile Laine, Lille Cedex, France
2   EA4490-PMOI, Université du Littoral-Côte d'Opale, Laboratoire de Physiopathologie des Maladies Osseuses Inflammatoires, Boulogne sur Mer Cedex, France
3   Imagerie Médicale, GHICL, Hôpital St-Vincent-de-Paul, Lomme, France
› Author Affiliations
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Publication History

Publication Date:
19 November 2015 (online)

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Abstract

Tractography (or fiber tracking) consists of three-dimensional modeling of the preferential movement of water molecules in the form of fiber tracks from the tensor field information. This technique allows a new approach for the microarchitectural analysis of anisotropic structures such as nerves, white matter, and muscles. Many disorders have been studied including cervical myelopathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, nerve root compression, and nerve tumors. Muscles have been less evaluated. Tractography is still a research technique, and its validation and widespread routine clinical use will require a good deal of work toward a harmonization of the MRI protocols and data postprocessing methods.

Keywords

diffusion tensor imaging - diffusivity - fractional anisotropy - tractography
 

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