title: Clinical correlations of diffusion and perfusion lesion volumes in acute ischemic stroke.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe the clinico-radiological correlations of magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) abnormalities in ischemic stroke. Eighteen patients had undergone MR imaging and clinical evaluation within 24 h of symptom onset and at or after 7 days. During the first 24 h the volume of perfusion abnormality (measured on the relative mean transit time map) was larger than the DWI lesion in 12/18 patients. In 6/18 patients the DWI lesion volume was larger. Acutely (<24 h) all lesion volumes showed a significant correlation with acute clinical severity measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. The correlations of the hypoperfusion volume (rho = 0.86, p = 0.0001) and the volume 'tissue at risk' (larger than the DWI and perfusion lesion volumes, rho = 0.86, p = 0. 0001) with acute clinical severity were slightly higher than for the DWI lesion volume (rho = 0.76, p = 0.0001). The difference between the volume of tissue at risk (acutely) and the infarct on follow-up T(2)-weighted imaging correlated significantly with change in clinical severity from acute to chronic time points (rho = 0.72, p = 0.001). Such clinico-radiological relationships may support the use of DWI and perfusion MR in decisions concerning the administration and evaluation of stroke therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass, USA.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: K O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Lövblad
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dashe
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burzynski
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schlaug
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Straroselskaya
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Edelman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Warach
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000473:pathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004058:Diffusion; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology*