ArticleNeuroImage. Clinical2019
Diffusion tensor imaging reveals changes in microstructural integrity along compressed nerve roots that correlate with chronic pain symptoms and motor deficiencies in elderly stenosis patients.
Article in NeuroImage. Clinical, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Quantitative study and prognostic value of diffusion tensor imaging for lumbar spinal stenosis.BMC medical imaging · 2026Article
- Neuro-immune contributors to persistent musculoskeletal pain: from mechanisms to clinical assessment and management.Musculoskeletal science & practice · 2026Review
- White matter microstructural alterations in patients with neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury: a diffusion tensor imaging study.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Why do older adults stand-up differently to young adults?: investigation of compensatory movement strategies in sit-to-walk.npj aging · 2022Article
- Changes and clinical correlation of diffusion tensor imaging parameters of compressed spinal cord and nerve root in patients with cervical spondylosis.BMC medical imaging · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Age-related degenerative changes in the lumbar spine frequently result in nerve root compression causing severe pain and disability. Given the increasing incidence of lumbar spinal disorders in the aging population and the discrepancies between the use of current diagnostic imaging tools and clinical symptoms, novel methods of nerve root assessment are needed. We investigated elderly patients with stenosis at L4-L5 or L5-S1 levels. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to quantify microstructure in compressed L5 nerve roots and investigate relationships to clinical symptoms and motor neurophysiology. DTI metrics (i.e. FA, MD, AD and RD) were measured at proximal, mid and distal segments along compressed (i.e. L5) and intact (i.e. L4 or S1) nerve roots. FA was significantly reduced in compressed nerve roots and MD, AD and RD were significantly elevated in the most proximal segment of the nerve root studied. FA was significantly correlated with electrophysiological measures of root function: minimum F-wave latency and peripheral motor conduction time (PMCT). In addition, FA along the compressed root also correlated with leg pain and depression score. There was also a relationship between RD and anxiety, leg pain and disability score and AD correlated with depression score. Taken together, these data show that DTI metrics are sensitive to nerve root compression in patients with stenosis as a result of age-related lumbar degeneration. Critically, they show that the changes in microstructural integrity along compressed L5 nerve roots are closely related to a number of clinical symptoms associated with the development of chronic pain as well as neurophysiological assessments of motor function. These inherent relationships between nerve root damage and phenotype suggest that the use DTI is a promising method as a way to stratify treatment selection and predict outcomes.
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