DTI: a New Diagnostic Tool for Injuries in Motor Vehicle Accidents

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), sometimes called DT-MRI, is a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This technology is mainly used to image the brain, but can be used anywhere on the body. DTI imaging can illuminate injuries and disorders that do not show up on traditional MRIs, a reality which opens up new diagnostic and legal possibilities.

Medical Uses for DTI

DTI can detect brain disorders that would have been previously undetectable. For example, it can be used to locate white matter lesions, which are dead cell areas in the part of the brain responsible for carrying information between brain cells. It is unknown whether white matter lesions cause brain dysfunction, but there is a link between them and a loss in vision and memory. Experts have discovered that memory in Alzheimer's patients, who have more than an average number of white matter lesions, tends to deteriorate faster than those with fewer lesions do.

DTI opens up the possibility of better understanding neurologically-related conditions such as concussions, strokes, loss of memory or muscle control, abnormal brain development and brain injury. Besides its uses in the brain, DTI is effective in facilitating diagnosis of prostate and breast cancers. DTI can also accurately locate dental issues such as TMJ syndrome.

DTI Effects on Lawsuits

In addition to its medical uses, DTI may have valuable legal applications as well. Since DTI can aid in diagnosing injuries that traditional MRIs or CT scans, plaintiffs' lawyers may be able to use it to prove injuries that were impossible to prove previously.

DTI is especially useful in motor vehicle accident cases. As an example, lawyers recently used DTI results successfully to prove a brain injury caused by a low-impact collision case. Using a DTI scan, the attorneys in the case were able to prove to a jury that the plaintiff's brain was damaged by the collision, resulting in a 2.5 million dollar verdict.

As DTI technology is relatively new, it is difficult to predict the full extent of its potential effects on future lawsuits. However, it currently shows promise in assisting victims of motor vehicle accidents to locate neurological injuries and seek compensation. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, an experienced personal injury attorney can evaluate your claim and help you recover fair compensation for your injuries.

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