title: Corticospinal tracts by diffusion tensor tractography in patients with arteriovenous malformations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To visualize the corticospinal tract (CST) in patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) by using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) and to confirm the clinical reliability of DTT in patients with AVMs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed DTT in 24 patients who had their AVMs near the CST. Tracts and AVMs were shown simultaneously, providing information on their spatial relationships. We also counted numbers of voxels in the DTT-CST at the level of the AVM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DTT was visualized in 23 patients. In all 9 patients with hemiparesis, their DTT-CSTs were involved in the AVM or its surrounding lesion. Their volume of DTT-CST at the affected side was significantly decreased when compared with the contralateral side (P = 0.0469). All 14 patients whose DTT-CSTs were free from lesion had no hemiparesis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DTT was safe and clinically applicable in patients with AVMs. DTT is recommended when an AVM is located near the corticospinal tract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. itod-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Masutani
authors.forename: Harushi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masumoto
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: Kuni
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtomo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D002538:Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000473:pathology*