Analysis of Corticospinal Tract Injury by Using the Diffusion Tensor Imaging of 3.0 T Magnetic Resonance in Patients with Hypertensive Intracerebral Hemorrhage

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to identify correlations between diffusion tensor imaging(DTI) and motor improvement by quantifying and visualizing the corticospinal tract on DTI to predict motor impairment in patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage(ICH). METHODS: Fifteen normal subjects and 7 patients with hypertensive ICH were examined and the latter were treated surgically. DTI was performed with a 3.0 T MRI. The region of interest(ROI) from the posterior limbs of both internal capsules was measured on a fractional anisotropy(FA) map, and the ratios of ROIs were calculated. Tractography, 3-dimensional DTI was then constructed. Motor impairment was assessed on admission and 2weeks after stroke by the Motricity Index(MI). The FA ratio, tractography and score on MI were analyzed for correlations. RESULTS: The FA ratio from the initial DTI did not show a linear correlation with motor impairment. However, after 2weeks, patients with high FA ratios showed high degrees of motor recovery, regardless of the initial severity, and patients with low FA ratios showed low recovery rates. Otherwise, a relationship between the amount of hematoma and the degree of motor recovery could not be determined. On tractography, injury of the corticospinal tract could be visualized and estimated 3-dimensionally. CONCLUSION: FA ratio analysis and tractography constructed from DTI may be useful in understanding corticospinal tract injury and in predicting the recovery from motor impairment in patients.