Diffusion tensor imaging fiber tracking with local tissue property sensitivity: phantom and in vivo validation

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides directional information that can be used to delineate brain white matter connections noninvasively via fiber tracking. The most commonly used methods for tractography are based on the streamline tracking algorithm for track propagation and a set of empirically and globally defined criteria for track termination. In this study, we propose a streamline tracking algorithm with high-order propagation accuracy and a single termination criterion based on tissue property to minimize user intervention and biases introduced during tracking process. These advantages and the agreement with histological reports are demonstrated in our tracking results in phantoms and in humans.