Stephan E. Maier, MD, PhD

Brigham And Women's Hospital

Research Program Affiliation

Member, Cancer Imaging

Research Abstract

At Brigham and Women's Hospital we discovered and developed a new magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion imaging technique called Line Scan Diffusion Imaging (LSDI), which can be implemented on conventional MR hardware. By measuring the directional dependence of diffusion, we have been able to produce images which show the white matter fiber tracts of the brain in great detail. We have used fiber mapping to visualize and quantify the development of fiber tracts in neonates and the destruction of fiber tracts by brain tumors. In human diffusion brain scans we found that, with higher diffusion weighting than usual, signal attenuation is described better with a biexponential model, rather than the commonly used monoexponential model. Our initial findings indicate that maps generated from data of such biexponential fits, are useful for the differentiation and delineation of normal, edematous, and tumorous tissue without contrast agents and thus, may provide additional information not accessible with conventional MR contrast agents.