[The clinical value of diffusion tensor imaging in ischemic stroke].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the correlations between the change of parameters of diffusion tensor imaging and the clinical symptoms, volume of infarcts, and alteration of fiber tract in patients with ischemic stroke.


METHODS
Ten patients diagnosed as acute infarcts underwent 3.0T conventional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging examinations 3 days after the onset of illness. The FA values of the lesions and the contralateral corresponding brain tissues were obtained and the volumes of infarcts were calculated. Visualization of the fiber tract was achieved by postprocessing the acquired diffusion tensor imaging data.


RESULTS
All patients had a decrease in FA values of the lesions compared with the contralateral corresponding brain tissues (P=0.002). The percentage of decrease in FA values was correlated with the duration of the infarct attack (correlation coefficient = -0.818, P=0.004). The percentage of decrease in FA values of the infarct lesions was not correlated with the NIHSS scores (correlation coefficient = -0.554, P=0.097). There was a significant positive correlation between the volume of infarcts and the NIHSS scores (correlation coefficient = 0.843, P=0.002). Disruption and attenuation of the fiber tract was observed in the infarct lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
The FA values of the infarct lesions decrease with the course of the disease in the acute and early subacute stage of ischemic stroke. The larger the infarct volume is, the more serious the clinical manifestation is. DTI can show the relationship between the direction and morphology of the fiber tract and the infarct lesions, which will play an important role for judging the prognosis of the patients and informing rehabilitation plans.
Zhang
Xia
X
Neurology Department, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Xing
Yue
Y
Zhang
Yun
Y
Lü
Su
S
Guo
Jian
J
He
Li
L
Gong
Qi-yong
QY
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis*