Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

<p>Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI or DW-MRI) is the use of specific <a href="/facts/MRI_sequence/3625KbgU">MRI sequences</a> as well as software that generates images from the resulting data that uses the diffusion of water molecules to generate <a href="/facts/Contrast_(vision)/zD9F91Je">contrast</a> in MR images. It allows the mapping of the <a href="/facts/Diffusion/KbAxroBa">diffusion</a> process of molecules, mainly water, in <a href="/facts/Biological_tissues/H7CpML7A">biological tissues</a>, <a href="/facts/In_vivo/kWcWyl6f">in vivo</a> and non-invasively. Molecular diffusion in tissues is not random, but reflects interactions with many obstacles, such as <a href="/facts/Macromolecule/039ULSLg">macromolecules</a>, fibers, and <a href="/facts/Biological_membrane/ljBsfK4r">membranes</a>. Water molecule diffusion patterns can therefore reveal microscopic details about tissue architecture, either normal or in a diseased state. A special kind of DWI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), has been used extensively to map <a href="/facts/White_matter/mvHqXJYk">white matter</a> <a href="/facts/Tractography/UzsnkIJ0">tractography</a> in the brain.
</p>

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging open-in-new

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging