Diffusion tensor imaging for evaluation of the childhood brain and pediatric white matter disorders

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been used by investigators and clinicians to assess the development of the brain in childhood to understand both patterns of normal growth and patterns by which a maturing brain may deviate from normal. Advanced MR techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have gained prominence as a means of assessing brain development. This review explains the sequence of brain maturation and the means by which DTI can be used to assess it in normal children.