Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

Diffusion MRI
DTI Color Map
MeSHD038524

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI or DW-MRI) is the use of specific MRI sequences as well as software that generates images from the resulting data that uses the diffusion of water molecules to generate contrast in MR images.[1][2][3] It allows the mapping of the diffusion process of molecules, mainly water, in biological tissues, in vivo and non-invasively. Molecular diffusion in tissues is not random, but reflects interactions with many obstacles, such as macromolecules, fibers, and membranes. Water molecule diffusion patterns can therefore reveal microscopic details about tissue architecture, either normal or in a diseased state. A special kind of DWI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), has been used extensively to map white matter tractography in the brain.

  1. ^ Le Bihan, Denis; Breton, E. (1985). "Imagerie de diffusion in-vivo par résonance magnétique nucléaire" [In-vivo diffusion imaging by nuclear magnetic resonance]. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences (in French). 301 (15): 1109–1112. INIST 8814916.
  2. ^ Merboldt KD, Hanicke W, Frahm J (1985). "Self-diffusion NMR imaging using stimulated echoes". Journal of Magnetic Resonance. 64 (3): 479–486. Bibcode:1985JMagR..64..479M. doi:10.1016/0022-2364(85)90111-8.
  3. ^ Taylor DG, Bushell MC (April 1985). "The spatial mapping of translational diffusion coefficients by the NMR imaging technique". Physics in Medicine and Biology. 30 (4): 345–349. Bibcode:1985PMB....30..345T. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/30/4/009. PMID 4001161. S2CID 250787827.