High-resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging Is a Noninvasive Method of Observing Injury and Recovery in the Peripheral Nervous System

Abstract

In this study, we demonstrated the ability of MRI to noninvasively monitor injury and recovery in the peripheral nervous system, by demonstrating changes in nerve and muscle that correlated with histological and behavioral evidence of axonal degeneration and regeneration. This study demonstrates the potential of MRI to distinguish traumatic peripheral nerve injuries that recover through axonal regeneration (i.e., axonotmetic grade) from those that do not and therefore require surgical repair (i.e., neurotmetic grade). This diagnostic modality could improve treatment by providing earlier and more accurate diagnoses of nerve damage, as well as reducing the need for exploratory surgery.

Extracting structural features of rat sciatic nerve using polarization-sensitive spectral domain optical coherence tomography

“…In many cases, an injured nerve heals gradually in a short time and further surgical exploration is not required. Currently available methods to determine the condition of affected nerves include nerve conduction testing and imaging techniques such as MRI, ultrasound, and CT. [5][6][7][8][9] Although current imaging methods have shown potential in providing images of the injured nerve as a whole, they lack the required submicron resolution to visualize damage or alteration to microstructures inside the nerve; moreover, they lack sufficient flexibility to quantitatively assess nerve health at different stages of the repair or treatment process. 10,11 Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a rapidly emerging imaging technology with applications in a range of fields including biology and medicine.…”

Peripheral Nerve Surgery: The Role of High-Resolution MR Neurography

“…4 The ability of MR imaging to demonstrate nerve changes in response to injury has been scientifically investigated in multiple small-animal models. [5][6][7] While conventional MR imaging may show the indirect signs of nerve damage such as muscle denervation and edema, 8,9 high-resolution MRN allows direct visualization of the injured and entrapped nerves, including their smaller peripheral branches. Various technical advancements, including higher field strengths (eg, 3T), 3D image acquisition, evolution of fat-suppression methods, and improved coil design allow increasingly high-quality MRN images.…”

MicroRNA Inhibitors as Anticancer Therapies

“…Normal mouse nerve showed little contrast in T1-weighted MRI, both in our experience and in published results. 33,34 On the other hand, xenografted tumors appeared as highly contrasted, hyperintense regions on in vivo T2-weighted MRI (Figure 6a). A slight hyperintensity was discernible at the site of tumor cell implantation 2 weeks after xenograft of sNF96.2 cells.…”