• Zafer Orkun Toktas, Bahattin Tanrıkulu, Orkun Koban, Turker Kilic, and Deniz Konya.
• Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey.
• J Craniovertebr Junction Spine. 2016 Jan 1; 7 (1): 26-30.

BackgroundDiffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique potentially able to evaluate the microscopic structural organization of white matter fibers.AimThis study aimed to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values obtained by DTI in stenotic versus nonstenotic cervical spinal segments of patients with clinical and neurological evidence of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).Materials And MethodsThis prospective study included 21 patients with CSM but without T2 changes on conventional MRI. Diffusion tensor (DT) images from the stenotic and nonstenotic segments of the subjects were obtained. FA and ADC values were estimated and compared with stenotic versus nonstenotic segments.Statistical AnalysisPaired t-test was used [Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 12.0].ResultsIn the most stenotic segments, the mean FA value was significantly lower (0.4228 ± 0.1090 vs 0.6884 ± 0.0075, P < 0.001) and the mean ADC value was significantly higher (1.312 ± 0.2405 vs 0.9183 ± 0.1477, P < 0.001) when compared to nonstenotic segments. In addition, there was a negative correlation between FA and ADC values (r = 0.63, P = 0.002).ConclusionsDTI of the cervical spine seems to be a promising novel imaging modality in patients with CSM.Advances In KnowledgeDTI may offer increased diagnostic sensitivity as compared to standard MRI and enables earlier detection of the disease.

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