Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Summary
Brain surgery is a tricky operation. The brain contains thousands of nerve tracks, each in charge of a different function – like speech, motion, memory, vision etc. One false move could cause major damage. “A few millimeters difference…makes a big difference, for the patients, for quality of life after surgery.”
Until recently, doctors had to guess where these nerve tracks were. Now, researchers at St. Jude are using DTI – diffusion tension imaging – to plan surgery. The DTI allows doctors to see every nerve track in relation to the tumor. DTI works by measuring the movement of water molecules in the brain.
Keywords: brain surgery, diffusion tensor imaging, DTI, surgery, glioblastoma, glioma brain cancer, imaging, MRI
