Abstract: To explore the value of the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in diagnosing Wallerian degeneration. Methods: DTI and MRI protocols were performed on 40 healthy volunteers, 10 normal variants and 40 patients, respectively. Results: The mean FA ratios of the corticospinal tracts in cerebral peduncle and basilar part of pons were 0.73 (97.6%) and 0.63 (96.8%) in 40 healthy volunteers, and they were 0.72 (96.0%) and 0.64 (95.0%) in 10 normal variants; No significant difference was found between the healthy volunteers and normal variants (P＞0.05). Whereas, they were 0.64(77.0%) and 0.52(76.0%) in 40 patients, significantly reduced compared with the healthy volunteers and the normal variants（P＜0.05）. Conclusion: DTI is more accurate than MRI in diagnosing Wallerian degeneration.

Key words: Wallerian degeneration, Diffusion tensor imaging, Magnetic resonance imagingWallerian