ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the changes of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) parameters with time in cerebral in farction patients,and contrast with diffusion tensor imaging (DWI).Methods DWI and DKI scans were performed in 95 patients of cerebral infarction.The patients were divided into five groups according to the time of cerebral infarction:Hyperacute phase (n=10),acute phase (n=12),early subacute phase (n =33),late subacute phase (n =20) and chronic phase (n =20).Parameters of DKI were obtained,and the parameters and percentage change of diffusion metrics from normal to ischemic tissue were compared.The evolution rule of parameter with time was analyzed.Results Mean kurtosis (MK),axial kurtosis (K//),radial kurtosis (K⊥) of DKI parameters increased after infarction,and reached the peak at acute phase,and decreased gradually with the prolonging of time.Mean diffusion (MD),axial diffusion (D//),radial diffusion (D⊥) of DTI parameters decreased after infarction,and reached the lowest at the acute phase,and increased gradually with the prolonging of time.The percentage change of MK,K//,K⊥ were higher than those of MD,D//,D⊥,and percent change along the axial direction were significantly larger than that along the radial direction.Conclusion DKI is superior to DTI in evaluating cerebral infarction,and can analyze the changes of microstructure of cerebral infarction comprehensively.