Magnetic Resonance Tractography and its Clinical Applications

Magnetic resonance tractography is a method to identifying anatomical connections in the living human brain. This technique uses data obtained from diffusion of water molecules to display two-dimensional or three-dimensional images of the nerve fiber tracts through performing computational analysis. Thus¡ it will be possible to check the status of fibers with performing this technique. It is one of the advance techniques in the field of neuroscience which has a diagnostic potential in neurological diseases¡ such as brain tumors¡ normal pressure hydrocephalus¡ multiple sclerosis¡ stroke¡ and a large number of other neurological disorders.
Tractography is a useful method to identify nerve tracts non-invasively and in-vivo. Compared to invasive techniques¡ non-invasive nature and ease of obtaining data enable this method to a suitable technique for pre-operative planning of brain surgery.