Application study of DTI in impairment of cortical spinal tract on acute cerebral ischemic stroke

Objective:To study the diffusion anisotropic features of white matter fibers of acute cerebral ischemic stroke patients by MR diffusion tensor imaging(DTI).To evaluate the relationship between the impairment degree of cortical spinal tract(CST) and muscular strength.Methods:9 patients with acute cerebral ischemic stroke and 9 volunteers were performed MR T_1WI、T_2WI and DTI.For imaging processing,fiber tracking with the software of DTV-Ⅱ,fractional anisotropy(FA) maps,directionally encoded color maps and 3D tractography of bilateral CST of all patients were created.Results:In normal volunteers group,measurements in white matter regions were not significantly different.Reconstruction FA images and DEC maps can display main white fibers.In stroke patients group,The FA value in infarct area of white matter was significant lower than that in normal hemisphere(paired test,t=4.570,P0.001).DTI shows that the CST were compression,displacement,translocation,and partial break.The pathological change in ill side of CST is related with muscular strength of contralateral hand(rs=0.888,P0.05).Conclusion:DTI can precisely showed the orientation and distribution of cerebral white matter fiber tracts,opening a new field for researching cerebral white matter fiber in vivo.DTI FA maps and DEC maps displayed the orientation and anisotropy of white matter fiber in infarct area.3D fiber tract maps could display the status of pyramidal tract more stereotacticly,then has important value to clinical management and prognosis.