Clinical applications of diffusion tensor imaging in children

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a relatively new addition to MR imaging, exploits the preferential movement of water protons within the brain along the axis of the axons. By mapping the anisotropic movement of protons, DTI shows the individual white matter tracts as discreet anatomical structures. The data can also be used to create 3D mathematical renderings of white matter, providing information about the micro-architecture of the white matter in the form of metrics, which provide information on axonal integrity and myelination. There are numerous applications of DTI in the pediatric brain from birth onwards, in normal and disease states.