Diffusion‐weighted imaging of the human optic nerve: A New approach to evaluate optic neuritis in multiple sclerosis

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Abstract
The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the optic nerve was measured from diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging using an intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) sequence. The subjects were seven normal volunteers and eight patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) with a total of four optic nerves with acute neuritis and nine nerves with chronic neuritis. The mean ADC (4.18 ± 1.13 × 10−3 mm2/s, n = 9) in the optic nerves with chronic neuritis was significantly higher than that in normal volunteers (1.56 ± 0.675 × 10−3 mm2/s, n = 14) and that in the nerves with acute neuritis (0.94 ± 0.43 × 10−3 mm2/s n = 4) (P < 0.001). The ADC is useful in assessing MS foci in the optic nerves.