Abstract
Purpose
To examine the possibility of performing highβresolution MRI (microneurography) on peripheral nerves.
Materials and Methods
A specific radio frequency (RF) coil was developed to probe the human median nerve at a magnetic field strength of 9.4 T and tested on three excised samples by acquiring microneurograms.
Results
The microneurograms revealed neuronal tissue constituents at subfascicular level. The contrast features on protonβdensity and T1β and T2βweighted images were described and compared. The microscopic water movement was quantified using diffusion weighting parallel and orthogonal to the neuronal fiber orientation. The characteristics of anisotropic diffusion in the median nerve were comparable to those reported from other biological tissues (white matter and kidney).
Conclusion
The results overall suggest that microneurography might provide new noninvasive insights into microscopic gross anatomy of the peripheral nerve, injury evaluation, and efficacy of repair, although the feasibility at current clinically relevant field strengths is yet to be determined. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;21:826β830. Β© 2005 WileyβLiss, Inc.