ABSTRACT
Objective To observe DTI manifestations of secondary damage of the somatic sensation conduction fiber bundles in patients with chronic thalamic infarction (TI).Methods Routine MRI and DTI were obtained in 28 patients with unilateral chronic TI (TI group) and 28 healthy volunteers (control group).The fractional anisotropy (FA) value,mean diffusivity (MD) value,primary eigenvalue (λ1) and transverse eigenvalue (λ23) of both spinothalamic tract and central thalamic radiation were calculated,and statistical analysis was performed.Results Compared with those in control group,the FA value of spinothalamic tract and central thalamic radiations significantly decreased (all P＜0.001),while MD,λ1 and λ23 value significantly increased in TI group (all P＜0.05).Conclusion TI can not only result in damage in spinothalamic tract below the infarct,but also cause deterioration in central thalamic radiations above the infarct.Moreover,the secondary damage of spinothalamic tract and central thalamic radiations present the same DTI manifestations in the chronic period.