Tractography in pathological anatomy: Some general considerations

In neuroimaging research, state-of-the-art diffusion MRI is commonly used for tractography processing to produce the highest quality images for research purposes. There are no significant limitations on data acquisition and computation time. In contrast, clinical applications require both data acquisition and computation to be completed within a clinically acceptable time frame to prevent delays and reduce potential risks to patient care. Clinical tractography algorithms frequently face the challenge of lack of time, insufficient data, and suboptimal data quality. This chapter highlights some technical and practical considerations to perform tractography in various clinical applications.