Ex vivo diffusion tensor imaging of the plantar nerves is feasible in the horse.

The research article explores the feasibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the imaging of plantar nerves in horses. It demonstrates that this approach can provide data that helps assess the health of these nerves.

Study Purpose

This research was primarily aimed to optimize the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) based Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) for imaging plantar nerves in horses. For this purpose, the plantar nerves at the tarsus level in normal equine limbs were of focus.

Methods

• The study was conducted using 12 pelvic cadaver limbs from horses that had no evidence of any proximal suspensory pathology.
• A 3T MRI system was used to image these limbs.
• For diffusion-weighted imaging, different b values (600, 800 and 1000 s/mm2) were experimented with.
• These data were then processed using DSI Studio.
• The cross-sectional areas of the medial and lateral plantar nerve along the plantar tarsus were recorded.
• Apart from these, other parameters like the length and number of fiber tracts, signal-to-noise ratio, and DTI variables were also recorded.

Results

• According to the results, the plantar nerves’ mean cross-sectional areas ranged between 5.03 and 7.42 mm2 at the level of interest.
• The DTI maps generated tracts consistently in the region of the lateral and medial plantar nerves. These had DTI values in the range that has been previously reported for peripheral nerves in humans.
• The study successfully demonstrated that DTI could be performed to generate quantitative parameters like mean, axial, and radial diffusivity along with fractional anisotropy, for the medial and lateral plantar nerves.

Conclusions

• This imaging technique opened the way for the generation of quantitative data and is non-invasive.
• It can be used to characterize microstructural integrity of neural tissues, possibly finding applications in evaluating the health and identifying pathologic changes to the plantar tarsal and metatarsal nerves in horses suffering from proximal suspensory desmopathy.