A neurography system (10) is disclosed for generating diagnostically useful images of neural tissue (i.e., neurograms) employing a modified magnetic resonance imaging system (14). In one embodiment, the neurography system selectively images neural tissue by employing one or more gradients to discriminate diffusion anisotropy in the tissue and further enhances the image by suppressing the contribution of fat to the image. The neurography system is part of a broader medical system (12), which may include an auxiliary data collection system (22), diagnostic system (24), therapeutic system (26), surgical system (28), and training system (30). These various systems are all constructed to take advantage of the information provided by the neurography system regarding neural networks, which information was heretofore unavailable.
Image neurography and diffusion anisotropy imaging