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Abstract #1126

Conventional DTI and Q-Space Imaging in Brachial Plexus Root Re-Implantation

Torben Schneider1, Xun Choong2, Carolina Kachramanoglou3, David L. Thomas2, David Choi4, Claudia Angela M. Wheeler-Kingshott1, Olga Ciccarelli2

1NMR Research Unit, Queen Square MS Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom; 2Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom; 3Spinal Repair Unit, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom; 4Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, United Kingdom

Brachial plexus avulsion leads to a completely paralysed and anaesthetic limb. Re-implantation of avulsed ventral roots is an effective treatment that improves motor recovery. Diffusion imaging promises non-invasive markers of disease progression as it is very sensitive to microscopic changes of tissue. We here assess both conventional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion q-space-imaging (QSI), which both show good discrimination of pathological changes in the patients cord. We further find strong correlation between QSI and DTI parameters and clinical scores of disability, suggesting great potential of diffusion imaging as biomarkers for future management of brachial plexus avulsion treatment strategies.

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Keywords

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