High-resolution 3-T MR neurography of the lumbosacral plexus

Theodoros Soldatos, Gustav Andreisek, Gaurav K. Thawait, Roman Guggenberger, Eric H. Williams, John A. Carrino, Avneesh Chhabra

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

121 Scopus citations

Abstract

The lumbosacral plexus comprises a network of nerves that provide motor and sensory innervation to most structures of the pelvis and lower extremities. It is susceptible to various traumatic, infammatory, metabolic, and neoplastic processes that may lead to lumbrosacral plexopathy, a serious and often disabling condition whose course and prognosis largely depend on the identifcation and cure of the causative condition. Whereas diagnosis of lumbrosacral plexopathy has traditionally relied on patients' medical history, clinical examination, and electrodiagnostic tests, magnetic resonance (MR) neurography plays an increasingly prominent role in noninvasive characterization of the type, location, and extent of lum-brosacral plexus involvement and is developing into a useful diagnostic tool that substantially affects disease management. With use of 3-T MR imagers, improved coils, and advanced imaging sequences, which provide exquisite spatial resolution and soft-tissue contrast, MR neurography provides excellent depiction of the lumbrosacral plexus and its peripheral branches and may be used to confrm a diagnosis of lumbrosacral plexop-athy with high accuracy or provide superior anatomic information should surgical intervention be necessary.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)967-987
Number of pages21
JournalRadiographics
Volume33
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'High-resolution 3-T MR neurography of the lumbosacral plexus'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this