Diffusion coefficients mapped MR imaging-with application to human brain diseases

The author investigated the feasibility of detecting human brain lesions by using the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging mapping technique of diffusion coefficients. MR images of a typical normal human brain are shown; a conventional SE image and a diffusion weighted image. It is demonstrated that the ventricles have the highest intensity due to the water consistency of cerebospinal fluid. White matter has the lowest diffusion coefficient because of its lipid consistency. A T1-weighted image of a patient with an aged brain and the diffusion mapped image of the same patient are shown. The size of the ventricles are shown to be larger than normal. A darker area around the ventricle indicates that there could be more fibrous tissue with limited diffusion coefficient due to aging.<>