Use of Diffusion Tensor Imaging to Examine Subacute White Matter Injury Progression in Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Abstract
Greenberg G, Mikulis DJ, Ng K, DeSouza D, Green RE. Use of diffusion tensor imaging to examine subacute white matter injury progression in moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.
Objective
To demonstrate subacute progression of white matter (WM) injury (4.5mo–2.5y postinjury) in patients with traumatic brain injury using diffusion-tensor imaging.
Inpatient neurorehabilitation program and teaching hospital MRI department.
Participants
Brain-injured adults (N=13) with a mean Glasgow Coma Scale score of 7.67±4.16.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were measured at 4.5 and 29 months postinjury in right and left frontal and temporal deep WM tracts and the anterior and posterior corpus callosum.
Results
FA significantly decreased in frontal and temporal tracts: right frontal (.38±.06 to .30±.06; P<.005), left frontal (.37±.06 to .32±.06; P<.05), right temporal (.28±.05 to .22±.018; P<.005), and left temporal (.28±.05 to .24±.02; P<.05). No significant changes were in the corpus callosum.
Conclusions
Preliminary results demonstrate progression of WM damage as evidenced by interval changes in diffusion anisotropy. Future research should examine the relationship between decreased FA and long-term clinical outcome.
aResearch Institute, Division of Brain Imaging and Behaviour Systems, University Health Network, Toronto Western Division, Toronto, ON, Canada
bDepartment of Medical Imaging, Division of Neuroradiology, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
cToronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
dGraduate Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Reprint requests to Robin Green, PhD, CPsych, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, 550 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada
Supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Physicians' Services Incorporated, and the Ontario Mental Health Foundation (grant nos. MOP-67072, 05-50, 2005-ABI-392).
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
ABSTRACT