title: The temporal evolution of diffusional kurtosis imaging in an experimental middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model.
abstract: Diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI), as a non-Gaussian diffusion model, has been applied in human and animal studies of ischemic stroke. This study aimed to intensively characterize the temporal evolution of DKI-derived variables in an experimental middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model, and to explore its potential application in ischemic stroke.
  
  
  
  Eleven MCAO rats and ten control rats underwent DKI and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) scans, at different time points of 0.5, 2, 6, 12, 24 and 72h after operation respectively. The infarct area in DKI- and DWI-derived variables was compared among different time points, and between different groups [INFARCTION, MIRROR, CONTROL-R (right side of the control group, the same side as in the infarction group), CONTROL-L (left side of the control group)] using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The percent changes from normal to that in ischemic tissues and histology were also evaluated.
  
  
  
  In the infarct region, from 0.5 to 72h, MK, K∥, K⊥ demonstrated irregular high signal, whereas relative homogeneous low signals were revealed by MD, D∥, D⊥ and ADC. Compared with the MIRROR and CONTROL-R group, MK, K∥, K⊥ in the infarcted area increased aggressively which peaked at 12h and gradually decreased; MD, D∥, D⊥ and ADC decreased gradually until 12h and then began to increase gradually; FA decreased rapidly from 0.5 to 72h. MD, D∥ and ADC were significantly different between Mirror and CONTROL-L group (P<0.05).
  
  
  
  DKI can provide more detailed information to describe ischemic lesion, and has great potential application in ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Yihao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Xiangyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Lingyun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China. Electronic address: zhuwenzhen@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Wenzhen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D051381:Rats; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Diffusional kurtosis imaging; Ischemic stroke; Magnetic resonance imaging; Middle cerebral artery occlusion model