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Diffusion tensor imaging change in crus cerebri in striatocapsular infarction and correlation with upper extremity motor dysfunction

  • Neuroradiology
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Abstract

Purpose

There is limited information about the secondary changes in the pyramidal tract after some specific types of deep brain infarction including striatocapsular infarction. The aims of the current study were to investigate diffusion changes in the crus cerebri in patients with striatocapsular infarction using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and analyze the relationship between such changes and upper extremity motor dysfunction.

Materials and methods

Fifteen patients with acute onset of striatocapsular infarction and unilateral upper extremity motor dysfunction for the first time were studied prospectively. DTI was performed 2 weeks after disease onset, fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values of the bilateral crus cerebri were measured, the asymmetry indices of bilateral fractional anisotropy were calculated, and the relationship between the asymmetry index value and the Fugl-Meyer assessment score for the affected upper extremity function was evaluated.

Results

Two weeks after disease onset, the fractional anisotropy value of the affected crus cerebri was reduced significantly compared with that of the unaffected crus cerebri (0.69 vs. 0.77; p < 0.001); there was no significant difference between bilateral mean diffusivity values. After correction for infarct size (448.93 ± 227.67 mm2) there was a negative correlation between the asymmetry index value and the Fugl-Meyer assessment score of the affected upper extremity (r = −0.78, p = 0.001).

Conclusions

DTI can detect the diffusion change in the crus cerebri in patients with striatocapsular infarction during the early stage of the disease and the integrity of the pyramidal tract in the crus cerebri is closely related to the motor function of the affected upper extremity.

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Abbreviations

DTI:

Diffusion tensor imaging

FA:

Fractional anistropy

MD:

Mean diffusivity

AI:

Asymmetry index

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None declared.

Ethical standards

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Yangzhou First People’s Hospital of Jiangsu Province, No. 45, Tai-Zhou Road, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China

    Run-Rong Wang, Cheng Li & Ling He

  2. Department of Neurology, Yangzhou First People’s Hospital of Jiangsu Province, Yangzhou, 225000, China

    Shuai Zhang, Long-Jiang Zhou & Hua-Dong Li

Authors
  1. Run-Rong Wang
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  2. Cheng Li
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  3. Shuai Zhang
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  4. Long-Jiang Zhou
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  5. Ling He
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  6. Hua-Dong Li
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Correspondence to Cheng Li.

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Wang, RR., Li, C., Zhang, S. et al. Diffusion tensor imaging change in crus cerebri in striatocapsular infarction and correlation with upper extremity motor dysfunction. Radiol med 120, 1064–1070 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-015-0534-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-015-0534-0

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