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Anisotropy of Water Diffusion in Corona Radiata and Cerebral Peduncle in Patients with Hemiparesis

1999; Elsevier BV; Volume: 10; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1006/nimg.1999.0456

1095-9572

Udo Wieshmann, Chris A. Clark, Mark R. Symms, Florence Franconi, Gareth J. Barker, Simon Shorvon,

Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications

Diffusion tensor imaging is a magnetic resonance method which provides quantitative measurements of the directionality (anisotropy) of diffusion. Anisotropy measurements can be used to obtain quantitative information about the microstructural integrity of white matter tracts. In intact tracts diffusion is restricted and directional because water molecules move predominantly longitudinally to tracts. The aim of this study was to measure the anisotropy of diffusion in patients with chronic hemiparesis. We measured in the corona radiata and the cerebral peduncle in 10 patients with a chronic hemiparesis and supratentorial lesions and 10 control subjects in regions of interest. In all patients anisotropy was reduced in the coronal radiata contralateral to the hemiparesis by more than 3 SD compared to control subjects. In three patients, each of which had a severe hemiparesis, anisotropy in the cerebral peduncle was reduced by more than 3 SD compared to normal control subjects. Our findings suggest that reduced anisotropy is associated with chronic hemiparesis.