title: Microstructure assessment of the thalamus in Wilson's disease using diffusion tensor imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess diffusion changes of the thalamus in Wilson's disease using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen patients with Wilson's disease and an abnormal signal in the thalamus (designated as group 1) and 18 patients with Wilson's disease with a normal-appearing thalamus (designated as group 2) at conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were recruited. Fifteen age-matched and sex-matched healthy volunteers were also enrolled as the control group (designated as group 3). The fractional anisotropy (FA), primary eigenvalue (λ1), second eigenvalue (λ2), and third eigenvalue (λ3) of the thalamus were measured and the differences were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The FA values of the thalamus were different in the three groups (group 1: 0.36 ± 0.02; group 2: 0.38 ± 0.02; group 3: 0.43 ± 0.02; F = 54.51, p < 0.001). A statistically significant difference was observed between group 1 and group 2 (p = 0.003), group 1 and group 3 (p = 0.001), and group 2 and group 3 (p < 0.001). The λ1, λ2, and λ3 values of the thalamus were different in the three groups (1.11 ± 0.06 mm(2)/s, 1.11 ± 0.06 mm(2)/s, and 1.10 ± 0.04 mm(2)/s of λ1 in group 1, group 2, and group 3, respectively; 0.82 ± 0.08 mm(2)/s, 0.78 ± 0.05 mm(2)/s, and 0.72 ± 0.02 mm(2)/s of λ2 in group 1, group 2, and group 3, respectively; 0.52 ± 0.05 mm(2)/s, 0.49 ± 0.06 mm(2)/s, and 0.42 ± 0.06 mm(2)/s of λ3 in group 1, group 2, and group 3, respectively; F = 1.65, p = 0.203 of λ1; F = 10.55, p < 0.001 of λ2; F = 4.21, p = 0.021 of λ3; respectively). A statistically significant difference in the λ2 value was observed between group 1 and group 3 (p < 0.001) and group 2 and group 3 (p = 0.005). A statistically significant difference in the λ3 value was also observed between group 1 and group 3 (p = 0.007). No significant difference in the λ1 value was noted between each of the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Damage of the thalamus in Wilson's disease patients can be detected using DTI. DTI may provide information regarding thalamus damage in patients with Wilson's disease before abnormal signals on conventional MRI.
authors: Department of Radiology, East Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun-Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Li
authors: Department of Neurology, East Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun-Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors: X
authors: X
authors: Zhou
authors: Department of Radiology, East Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun-Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Xu
authors: Department of Radiology, East Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun-Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors: X
authors: X
authors: Pan
authors: Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun-Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: c.y.m@126.com.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006527:Hepatolenticular Degeneration / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology*