High Resolution MR Neurography: Application in Peripheral Nerve Disease.

Although the evaluation of peripheral neuropathies has traditionally relied on clinical examination and electrodiagnostic studies, there has been an increasing demand from treating physicians for information about the injury type, location of injured nerve stumps, presence or absence of neuroma and underlying etiology of neuropathy, particularly in cases where surgical intervention is contemplated. In this setting, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of peripheral nerves, also referred to as MR Neurography, has been gaining increasing popularity, because of advances in MR hardware and the development of new imaging techniques. The implementation of 3 Tesla MR Scanners, in particular, has offered higher resolution and contrast imaging of peripheral nerves, which has in turn provided exquisite anatomic and lesion conspicuity.