einstein (São Paulo). 01/Apr/2010;8(2):252-3.

Tractography

DOI: 10.1590/S1679-45082010AI1112

Tractography is a new magnetic resonance technique that enables mapping and, consequently, evaluation of different white matter tracts in the central nervous system. It encompasses acquiring a sequence called diffusion tensor imaging in a common 1.5 or 3 Tesla magnetic resonance equipment, independently or associated to conventional images of the study^(–).

The acquired images are post-processed using several types of software – some are available online for free. The same acquisition of images allows calculating quantitative parameters, such as fractioned anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), which interfere in white matter integrity, in addition to providing several maps, such as color map, identifying the orientation of diverse white matter tracts.

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