77 - High Resolution Brain Stem MRI Images Are Comparable to Histological Brain Stem Sections

Poster Board Number: 77
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : The Brainstem is a peculiar structure in the central nervous system because it gives passage to ascending sensory tracts of the spinal cord, sensory tracts of the head and neck, and descendants motor tracts originated in the forebrain and pathways related to the center of eye movement. It also presents the nuclei of cranial nerves and is finally also involved in the regulation of the level of consciousness through projections to the forebrain arising in the reticular formation at the core of the brainstem. All these structures of vital importance are packed in a very narrow space which makes the brain stem very sensitive to pathological changes with rich neurological signs and symptoms. Understanding the internal anatomy of the brainstem is essential for neurological diagnosis and the practice of clinical medicine. All the foregoing makes the brainstem a fertile ground for the study through the imaging diagnostic especially when performed by new technologies such as surveys MRI machine high-field (3 Teslas.). Our work presents the correlation of the various structures found in the brainstem, visible and identifiable with 3 Teslas resolution magnetic resonance imaging on cadaveric brains, aiming to map and compared these images with those obtained in histological slices stained with hematoxylin and eosin. This technique proved to be accurate, contributing to precise diagnosis and topographic pathologies affecting the brainstem.