Diffusion MRI in the postmortem brain: case report.
Postmortem brain of a ten-month-old child was examined by MR imaging, and diffusion MR imaging at the 12th hour after death in order to disclose the cause of death. There were basal ganglion lesions indicating a mitochondrial disorder. There was a prominent difference between the ADC values of the white matter (0.28+/-0.04 x 10(-3) mm2/s) and cortex (0.42+/-0.04 x 10(-3) mm2/s), and this was statistically significant (p< 0.0001). This difference suggested that in the postmortem brain the conditions in the white matter leading to restriction of movement of water molecules are more severe than that in the cortex.
Sener
R N
RN
Department of Radiology, Ege University Hospital, Bornova, Izmir, 35100 Turkey. rnsener@med.ege.edu.tr
D000140:Acidosis, Lactic / Q000473:pathology*; D020145:Basal Ganglia Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001926:Brain Death / Q000473:pathology*; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000473:pathology; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D002423:Cause of Death; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D045604:Extracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007223:Infant; D028361:Mitochondrial Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D009123:Muscle Hypotonia / Q000473:pathology*; D011149:Pons / Q000473:pathology; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D011699:Putamen / Q000473:pathology