PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mukherjee, P.
AU  - Berman, J.I.
AU  - Chung, S.W.
AU  - Hess, C.P.
AU  - Henry, R.G.
TI  - Diffusion Tensor MR Imaging and Fiber Tractography: Theoretic Underpinnings
AID  - 10.3174/ajnr.A1051
DP  - 2008 Apr 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 632--641
VI  - 29
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/29/4/632.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/29/4/632.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.2008 Apr 01; 29
AB  - SUMMARY: In this article, the underlying theory of clinical diffusion MR imaging, including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and fiber tractography, is reviewed. First, a brief explanation of the basic physics of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping is provided. This is followed by an overview of the additional information that can be derived from the diffusion tensor, including diffusion anisotropy, color-encoded fiber orientation maps, and 3D fiber tractography. This article provides the requisite background for the second article in this 2-part review to appear next month, which covers the major technical factors that affect image quality in diffusion MR imaging, including the acquisition sequence, magnet field strength, gradient amplitude and slew rate, and multichannel radio-frequency coils and parallel imaging. The emphasis is on optimizing these factors for state-of-the-art DWI and DTI based on the best available evidence in the literature.