Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging in traumatic corpus callosum injury

Objective To evaluate the potential clinical role for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with traumatic corpus callosum injury. Methods Twenty-five closed traumatic brain injury patients (16 male,9 female; age 20-60,mean age 37) were evaluated by DTI with MR system. Quantitive analysis was performed using measurements of fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the genu and splenium of corpus callosum. The measurements were correlated with the clinical Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS),and the outcomes were compared with those of 20 healthy subjects (12 male,8 female; age 21-60,mean age 36). Results FA values of patient group significantly reduced within the genu and splenium of corpus callosum (P0.05),compared with the control group. There was no significant difference of ADC measurements between control and patient group (P0.05). FA values of corpus callosum (P0.05) were significantly correlated with the GCS. Conclusion DTI reveals the diffuse axonal injury change of corpus callosum correlated with the clinical GCS,being able to provide valuable further information to traumatic brain injury cases.