%0 Journal Article
%T In Vivo MR Microneurography of the Tibial and Common Peroneal Nerves
%A Paolo F. Felisaz
%A Eric Y. Chang
%A Irene Carne
%A Stefano Montagna
%A Francesco Balducci
%A Giulia Maugeri
%A Anna Pichiecchio
%A Fabrizio Calliada
%A Maurizia Baldi
%A Stefano Bastianello
%J Radiology Research and Practice
%D 2014
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2014/780964
%X MR microneurography is a noninvasive technique that provides visualization of the microanatomy of peripheral nerves, otherwise available only with histopathology. The objective of this study was to present a protocol to visualize the microstructure of peripheral nerves in vivo, using a 3T MRI scanner with a clinical set of coils and sequences. The tibial and the common peroneal nerves of healthy volunteers were imaged above the medial malleolus and at the level of the fibular head, respectively. The acquired images provided details about the internal structure of peripheral nerves, with visualization of the fascicles, the interfascicular fat, the epineurium, and the perineurium. MR microneurography can be performed in a clinical setting with acceptable imaging times and can be a potentially powerful tool that complements standard MR neurography. 1. Introduction Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of peripheral nerves, also known as MR neurography, provides visualization of the main peripheral nerve trunks and allows detection of pathologic changes such as edema, loss of fascicular pattern, osteofibrous tunnel narrowing, and tumors [1]. Functional evaluation with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques have also been described [2]. One main issue with standard MR neurography is spatial resolution, in fact, the nerve fibers, the fascicles and the connective tissues within the peripheral nerves are not easily accessible with conventional imaging protocols. However, the visualization of the microanatomy of peripheral nerves is a matter of clinical relevance. According to the commonly utilized Seddon and Sunderland classifications for peripheral nerve injuries [3, 4], the integrity of the connective tissues such as the epineurium and perineurium is related to clinical outcome [5]. Current standard of care utilizes a combination of clinical findings and electrophysiology for diagnosis. However, a technique that can visualize and evaluate earlier the integrity of the epineurium and the perineurium may potentially improve diagnosis. MR microneurography is a noninvasive technique that provides visualization of anatomic details otherwise available only with histopathology. Since early ex vivo experiments that were performed with high field scanners, there has been little development in this field [5¨C7]. The objective of this study was to present a protocol of MR microneurography using a 3T scanner and a clinical set of coils and sequences, which could potentially visualize the microarchitecture of peripheral nerves in vivo. 2.
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/rrp/2014/780964/