title: Wallerian degeneration in lateral cervical spinal cord detected with diffusion tensor imaging in four chronic stroke patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  wallerian degeneration (WD) in descending motor tracts after stroke is described at the level of the internal capsule and the brainstem. We investigated whether diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can detect degeneration in the lateral cervical spinal cord after stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  DTI at 1.5 T of the cervical spinal cord was performed in 4 chronic hemiparetic patients after ischemic stroke. Stroke lesions included the corticospinal tract. DTI was also performed in 12 healthy controls. Diffusion parameters were obtained for left and right (i) half and (ii) lateral spinal cord extending from C2 to C7.
  
  
  RESULTS
  relative fractional anisotropy (FA) in the lateral tracts on the affected side compared with the unaffected side (left/right) was reduced in stroke patients as compared with controls (P= .007). FA was lowest in patients with severe upper limb hemiparesis. Relative apparent diffusion coefficient in the lateral tracts was increased in the patients (P= .03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  this study provides preliminary evidence that DTI at 1.5 T can be used for identification and quantification of WD in the lateral cervical spinal cord in stroke patients. This may prove useful for prognosis of motor outcome after stroke.
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 7060, LNRS, Université Paris Descartes (Paris-5), Paris, France. pavel.lindberg@cch.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Påvel G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.forename: Djamel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bensmail
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bussel
authors.forename: Marc A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feydy
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016880:Anisotropy; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000473:pathology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D014855:Wallerian Degeneration / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*