Diffusion MR tractography of the heart |
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| Authors: | David E Sosnovik Ruopeng Wang Guangping Dai Timothy G Reese Van J Wedeen |
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| Institution: | 1.Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA;2.Cardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA;3.Center for Molecular Imaging Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA;4.Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge MA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Histological studies have shown that the myocardium consists of an array of crossing helical fiber tracts. Changes in myocardial fiber architecture occur in ischemic heart disease and heart failure, and can be imaged non-destructively with diffusion-encoded MR. Several diffusion-encoding schemes have been developed, ranging from scalar measurements of mean diffusivity to a 6-dimensional imaging technique known as diffusion spectrum imaging or DSI. The properties of DSI make it particularly suited to the generation of 3-dimensional tractograms of myofiber architecture. In this article we review the physical basis of diffusion-tractography in the myocardium and the attributes of the available techniques, placing particular emphasis on DSI. The application of DSI in ischemic heart disease is reviewed, and the requisites for widespread clinical translation of diffusion MR tractography in the heart are discussed. |
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