Wade, RG orcid.org/0000-0001-8365-6547, Whittam, A, Teh, I et al. (4 more authors) (2020) Diffusion tensor imaging of the roots of the brachial plexus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of normative values. Clinical and Translational Imaging, 8 (6). pp. 419-431. ISSN 2281-5872
Abstract
Purpose
Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) characterises tissue microstructure and provides proxy measures of myelination, axon diameter, fibre density and organisation. This may be valuable in the assessment of the roots of the brachial plexus in health and disease. Therefore, there is a need to define the normal DTI values.
Methods
The literature was systematically searched for studies of asymptomatic adults who underwent DTI of the brachial plexus. Participant characteristics, scanning protocols, and measurements of the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of each spinal root were extracted by two independent review authors. Generalised linear modelling was used to estimate the effect of experimental conditions on the FA and MD. Meta-analysis of root-level estimates was performed using Cohen’s method with random effects.
Results
Nine articles, describing 316 adults (1:1 male:female) of mean age 35 years (SD 6) were included. Increments of ten diffusion sensitising gradient directions reduced the mean FA by 0.01 (95% CI 0.01, 0.03). Each year of life reduced the mean MD by 0.03 × 10–3 mm2/s (95% CI 0.01, 0.04). At 3-T, the pooled mean FA of the roots was 0.36 (95% CI 0.34, 0.38; I2 98%). The pooled mean MD of the roots was 1.51 × 10–3 mm2/s (95% CI 1.45, 1.56; I2 99%).
Conclusions
The FA and MD of the roots of the brachial plexus vary according to experimental conditions and participant factors. We provide summary estimates of the normative values in different conditions which may be valuable to researchers and clinicians alike.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2020. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) |
Keywords: | Diffusion tensor; Brachial plexus; Normal; Normative; Healthy; Peripheral nerve |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (LICAMM) > Biomedical Imaging Science Dept (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Mar 2022 14:56 |
Last Modified: | 11 Mar 2022 14:56 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s40336-020-00393-x |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:184583 |