title: MRI of small human stroke shows reversible diffusion changes in subcortical gray matter.
abstract: Six patients who had suffered small cerebral ischemia affecting subcortical gray matter were examined with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and T2-weighted imaging within the first 8 h, during the next 2 days and after 5-16 days. Areas of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) decreases were observed acutely and reached the maximum size during the subsequent 2 days. Noticeably, in all subjects, a large portion of the ADC lesion was reversible as judged from the lesion size on final T2 image. The regular reversibility of the ADC decreases in this setting may indicate a hitherto not understood pathophysiological process occurring in small ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurologie, Universitätsklinikum Charité, Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Doege
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kerskens
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brunecker
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Junge-Hülsing
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villringer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004058:Diffusion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010487:Periaqueductal Gray / Q000473:pathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013997:Time Factors