Article
Diffusion tensor imaging for stroke patients by 3.0 tesla magnetic resonance imaging
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Published: | May 8, 2006 |
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Objective: This study examined whether the degree of impairment of fractional anisotrophy (FA) correlates with motor function.
Methods: Seventeen hemiparetic stroke patients (9 intracerebral hemorrhage, 8 cerebral infarction) were examined 0-90 (average 17.8) days after stroke onset by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) by 3.0 tesla magnetic resonance imaging. We measured FA in the cerebral peduncle and compared FA between the affected and the unaffected side. The severity of motor dysfunction was evaluated with the National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS). Statistical analysis was performed to study the relationship between NIHSS and the following: FA and ipsilateral-to-contralateral ratio of FA (rFA). NIHSS correlated with the rFA (P<0.05) but FA.
Conclusions: Our data shows that alterations in anisotropy in the corticospinal tract correlate with motor function. DTI can help to predict recovery of motor function after stroke.