Early detection of Wallerian degeneration in the distal corticospinal tract after cerebral infarction by diffusion tensor imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy
SU Ying-hua
HUANG Yao-qu
Abstract：Objective To observe the characteristics of early Wallerian degeneration of distal corticospinal tract( CST) after acute cerebral infarction by magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging ( DTI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy( MRS) . Methods Nineteen patients who had suffered from an unilateral ischemic stroke involving the proximal CST were assessed using magnetic resonance DTI and MRS, within 1 week and at the 2nd and 4th week after the infarction. At the same time, 19 gender-and age-matched controls were imaged. Fractional anisotropy ( FA) , N-acetylaspartate( NAA) /creatine( Cr) , and choline ( Cho) /Cr were measured in cerebral peduncle. The difference of the measured data in each period between ipsilateral and contralateral cerebral peduncle of infarction and the control group were statistical analyzed. The characteristics changes among 3 time points were analyzed. Results FA values of the ipsilateral cerebral peduncles were continuously reduced ( P < 0. 05) . The values of FA at the 2nd and the 4th week were significantly reduced in ipsilateral when compared with the contralateral side and control group ( P < 0. 05) . The NAA/Cr ratio was also significantly lower than the contralateral side and the control group at the 4th week ( P < 0. 05) . There was no significant difference in Cho /Cr between the ipsilateral cerebral peduncle and the contralateral side or the control group ( P > 0. 05) . Conclusion DTI and MRS can be used to detect Wallerian degeneration of CST after early cerebral infarction. The combined monitoring of DTI and MRS can help to observe the longitudinal evolution of Wallerian degeneration.
Keywords：strokecorticospinal tractdiffusion tensor imagingmagnetic resonance spectroscopy
Publication Date：2018-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 537-540 )