RöFo : Fortschritte auf dem Gebiete der Röntgenstrahlen und der Nuklearmedizin
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Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an important tool in the radiologic diagnosis of diseases of the brain as it measures molecular motion of water that characterizes the microstructure of tissues. Its most important clinical use to date is the early detection of cerebral ischemia by revealing the ischemic injury shortly after vessel occlusion and simultaneously providing therapy-relevant information on the tissue at risk. Furthermore, diffusion MRI is diagnostically promising in other diseases of the brain and is thus increasingly becoming part of routine clinical protocols in the diagnosis of tumors, inflammation, trauma, demyelination, dysmyelination and neurodegeneration. ⋯ Particularly diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which displays the orientation of white matter fibers, holds promise for improved surgical planning. Moreover, DTI can be used to detect changes in connectivity between functional brain areas. Therefore, DTI is highly relevant not only in advancing the knowledge of white matter diseases but also in stimulating research on normal brain development and brain aging.