Animation: The first actual neurography imaging case — a sciatic nerve injury.
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In November 1992, Dr. Aaron Filler conducted the first patient imaging using a an MR Neurography-configured clinical GE Signal MRI scanner.
The patient suffered from a sciatic nerve injury. The first patient image led to the discovery that the fascicle pattern inside the nerve could be seen in an image. This image also proves that the structure imaged is indeed a nerve. The image was published in the British medical journal Lancet in 1993 and received extensive world wide attention.
A) Cross section of the thigh. The arrow indicates the sciatic nerve. This patient had suffered a stab wound to the the thigh which had severed his sciatic nerve.
B) Blow up view of the sciatic nerve revealing the internal fascicle structure.
C) A three dimensional reconstruction of the nerve based on "maximum intensity projection" of the nerve. This image closely matches the shape of the sciatic nerve seen in the photograph (D).
D) Intraoperative photograph taken during surgery. The photo shows the cut sciatic nerve. The arrow indicates the suture line where nerve grafts have been sown into place.
There are many diagnoses and treatments of nerve trauma, entrapment and RSD. Please click on any of the links below to learn more about individualized cases from the files of Dr. Filler.
Dr. Aaron Filler is the world’s leading expert in treatment of nerve pain. He has revolutionized nerve-pain treatment by inventing several new technologies. One such technology, MR Neurography, enables doctors to use an MRI scanner to examine nerves — previously a difficult-to-impossible tissue to see through MR imaging. Dr. Filler's research in axonal transport is leading to a whole new generation of advanced pain medications. He has developed many new “minimal access” surgery methods that allow him to treat complex nerve problems with small outpatient surgeries. He has also pioneered the use of the Open MRI scanner to do surgeries and other therapies with the ultra-high precision and safety of the magnetic resonance imaging. 
Do You Really Need Back Surgery? by Dr. Aaron G. Filler, MD PhD, is a best-selling paperback every sufferer of spine and nerve pain should read. Written in everyday language, the book is a must-read.