Anatomical details of the brainstem and cranial nerves visualized by high resolution readout-segmented multi-shot echo-planar diffusion-weighted images using unidirectional MPG at 3T.

We compared diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with readout-segmented multi-shot echo-planar imaging (rs-EPI) and single-shot EPI, both using unidirectional motion-probing gradient, in 10 patients for visualization of the anatomical structures in the brainstem. DWI by rs-EPI was significantly better than DWI by single-shot EPI for visualizing the medial longitudinal fasciculus, lateral lemniscus, corticospinal tract, and seventh/eighth cranial nerves and offered significantly less distortion of the brainstem.