Cerebral perfusion and neuropsychological follow up in mild traumatic brain injury: acute versus chronic disturbances?

In a subgroup of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) residual symptoms, interfering with outcome and return to work, are found. With neuropsychological assessment cognitive deficits can be demonstrated although the pathological underpinnings of these cognitive deficits are not fully understood. As the admission computed tomography (CT) often is normal, perfusion CT imaging may be a useful indicator of brain dysfunction in the acute phase after injury in these patients. In the present study, directly after admission perfusion CT imaging was performed in mild TBI patients with follow-up neuropsychological assessment in those with complaints and a normal non-contrast CT. Neuropsychological tests comprised the 15 Words test Immediate Recall, Trailmaking test part B, Zoo Map test and the FEEST, which were dichotomized into normal and abnormal. Perfusion CT results of patients with normal neuropsychological test scores were compared to those with abnormal test scores. In total eighteen patients were included. Those with an abnormal score on the Zoo Map test had a significant lower CBV in the right frontal and the bilateral parieto-temporal white matter. Patients with an abnormal score on the FEEST had a significant higher MTT in the bilateral frontal white matter and a significant decreased CBF in the left parieto-temporal grey matter. No significant relation between the perfusion CT parameters and the 15 Words test and the Trailmaking test part B was present. In conclusion, impairments in executive functioning and emotion perception assessed with neuropsychological tests during follow up were related to differences in cerebral perfusion at admission in mild TBI. The pathophysiological concept of these findings is discussed.

Pathophysiological concepts in mild traumatic brain injury: diffusion tensor imaging related to acute perfusion CT imaging.

BACKGROUND: A subgroup of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) experiences residual symptoms interfering with their return to work. The pathophysiological substrate of the suboptimal outcome in these patients is a source of debate. OBJECTIVE: To provide greater insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms of mild TBI. METHODS: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed during follow-up of 18 patients with mild TBI and compared with healthy control subjects. DTI data of the patient group were also compared with perfusion CT imaging in the acute phase of injury. RESULTS: In patients with mild TBI, a trend was observed for a decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in widespread bilateral frontal white matter areas with increased mean diffusivity (MD) in the parieto-temporal regions, compared to healthy control subjects. Cerebral blood volume (CBV) correlated significantly with FA in several white matter tracts including the corpus callosum, the internal capsule, the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle, the corticospinal tract, the superior and the inferior longitudinal fascicle. CONCLUSION: In mild TBI with normal conventional imaging significant associations between cerebral perfusion in the acute phase of injury and DTI analyses in the chronic phase of injury were discerned. The pathophysiological concept of these findings is being outlined.

Acute cerebral perfusion CT abnormalities associated with posttraumatic amnesia in mild head injury.

Posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) is a common symptom following traumatic brain injury. Although this transient memory deficit implies specific impairment of higher brain function, the actual pathophysiology of PTA is not well understood. The aim of this study was to assess regional cerebral hemodynamics with perfusion computed tomography (CT) in patients during PTA following mild head injury compared to patients with resolved PTA. A total of 74 patients with mild head injury without structural abnormalities on a non-contrast CT scan were included and compared to 25 healthy controls. Two patient groups were defined: (1) a PTA group that was scanned during the episode of PTA (n = 34), and (2) a post-PTA group scanned after resolution of PTA (n = 40). The PTA group had significantly reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the frontal grey matter (41.78 [SD 7.4] versus 44.44 [SD 6.2] mL • 100 g⁻¹ • min⁻¹, p = 0.023), and caudate nucleus (44.59 [SD 6.2] versus 47.85 [SD 7.7] mL • 100 g⁻¹ • min⁻¹, p = 0.021), compared to the post-PTA group. Thus in patients with mild head injury, PTA is associated with cerebral perfusion abnormalities in specific cortical and subcortical regions.

Perfusion computed tomography in the acute phase of mild head injury: regional dysfunction and prognostic value.

OBJECTIVE: Traumatic brain injury is a major cause of disability and death. Most patients sustain a mild head injury with a subgroup that experiences disabling symptoms interfering with return to work. Brain imaging in the acute phase is not predictive of outcome, as 20% of noncontrast computed tomographic (CT) scans on admission is normal in patients with a suboptimal outcome. The aim of this study was to perform perfusion CT imaging in the acute phase of mild head injury in patients without intracranial abnormalities on the noncontrast CT, to assess whether these patients had cerebral perfusion abnormalities. Furthermore, the relation between perfusion CT parameters and severity of head injury and outcome was evaluated. METHODS: In patients with mild head injury and normal noncontrast CT, perfusion CT was performed directly after admission. The perfusion data were compared with data of 25 healthy control subjects. Outcome was determined 6 months after injury with the extended Glasgow Coma Outcome Scale score and return to work. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients were included. In patients with a decreased Glasgow Coma Scale score, a significant decrease of cerebral blood flow and cerebral blood volume was detected in the frontal and occipital gray matter. In logistic regression analyses, decreased cerebral blood flow and cerebral blood volume in the frontal lobes predicted worse outcome according to the extended Glasgow Coma Outcome Scale score. CT perfusion parameters did not predict return to work. INTERPRETATION: In the acute phase of mild head injury, disturbed cerebral perfusion is seen in patients with normal noncontrast CT correlating with severity of injury and outcome.

Delayed coma in head injury: consider cerebral fat embolism.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of a young man with delayed coma after mild head injury, suggestive of cerebral fat embolism (CFE). To underline the value of MR imaging in the differential diagnosis of secondary deterioration in mild head injury. CASE REPORT: A 21-year-old man admitted with mild head injury after a fall with facial fractures and long bone fractures. He was admitted to the intensive care unit and was mechanically ventilated. Weaning was not possible because of desaturations and pulmonary congestion. Low platelet count and anaemia developed. On several time points during his admission cerebral imaging data were obtained. Non-contrast CT on admission was normal while follow-up MRI showed extensive white matter abnormalities. These imaging abnormalities combined with the clinical presentation suggests cerebral fat embolism (CFE) as the most likely cause of secondary deterioration in our patient. CONCLUSIONS: In head injured patients with long bone fractures one should consider cerebral fat embolism. When the classical clinical syndrome is not present, MR imaging is warranted for diagnosis and to exclude other causes of secondary deterioration.

Preoperative subtyping of meningiomas by perfusion MR imaging.

INTRODUCTION: This paper aims to evaluate the value of perfusion magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the preoperative subtyping of meningiomas by analyzing the relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) of three benign subtypes and anaplastic meningiomas separately. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven meningiomas with peritumoral edema (15 meningothelial, ten fibrous, four angiomatous, and eight anaplastic) underwent perfusion MR imaging by using a gradient echo echo-planar sequence. The maximal rCBV (compared with contralateral normal white matter) in both tumoral parenchyma and peritumoral edema of each tumor was measured. The mean rCBVs of each two histological subtypes were compared using one-way analysis of variance and least significant difference tests. A p value less than 0.05 indicated a statistically significant difference. RESULTS: The mean rCBV of meningothelial, fibrous, angiomatous, and anaplastic meningiomas in tumoral parenchyma were 6.93 +/- 3.75, 5.61 +/- 4.03, 11.86 +/- 1.93, and 5.89 +/- 3.85, respectively, and in the peritumoral edema 0.87 +/- 0.62, 1.38 +/- 1.44, 0.87 +/- 0.30, and 3.28 +/- 1.39, respectively. The mean rCBV in tumoral parenchyma of angiomatous meningiomas and in the peritumoral edema of anaplastic meningiomas were statistically different (p < 0.05) from the other types of meningiomas. CONCLUSION: Perfusion MR imaging can provide useful functional information on meningiomas and help in the preoperative diagnosis of some subtypes of meningiomas.

Perfusion MR imaging for differentiation of benign and malignant meningiomas.

INTRODUCTION: Our purpose was to determine whether perfusion MR imaging can be used to differentiate benign and malignant meningiomas on the basis of the differences in perfusion of tumor parenchyma and/or peritumoral edema. METHODS: A total of 33 patients with preoperative meningiomas (25 benign and 8 malignant) underwent conventional and dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion MR imaging. Maximal relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) and the corresponding relative mean time to enhance (rMTE) (relative to the contralateral normal white matter) in both tumor parenchyma and peritumoral edema were measured. The independent samples t-test was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in the mean rCBV and rMTE ratios between benign and malignant meningiomas. RESULTS: The mean maximal rCBV values of benign and malignant meningiomas were 7.16+/-4.08 (mean+/-SD) and 5.89+/-3.86, respectively, in the parenchyma, and 1.05+/-0.96 and 3.82+/-1.39, respectively, in the peritumoral edema. The mean rMTE values were 1.16+/-0.24 and 1.30+/-0.32, respectively, in the parenchyma, and 0.91+/-0.25 and 1.24+/-0.35, respectively, in the peritumoral edema. The differences in rCBV and rMTE values between benign and malignant meningiomas were not statistically significant (P>0.05) in the parenchyma, but both were statistically significant (P<0.05) in the peritumoral edema. CONCLUSION: Perfusion MR imaging can provide useful information on meningioma vascularity which is not available from conventional MRI. Measurement of maximal rCBV and corresponding rMTE values in the peritumoral edema is useful in the preoperative differentiation between benign and malignant meningiomas.

1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy in monocarboxylate transporter 8 gene deficiency.

CONTEXT: In monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) gene deficiency, a syndrome combining thyroid and neurological abnormalities, the central nervous system has not yet been characterized by magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy. OBJECTIVE: We studied whether the degree of dysmyelinization in MCT8 gene deficiency according to MR imaging (MRI) is coupled with abnormalities in brain metabolism. DESIGN: MRI and MR spectroscopy of the brain were performed twice in two MCT8 gene deficiency patients, for the first time at age 8-10 months and for the second time at age 17-28 months. The results were compared with those obtained in controls of a similar age. RESULTS: Compared with controls, young children with MCT8 show choline and myoinositol level increases and N-acetyl aspartate decreases in supraventricular gray and white matter, phenomena associated with the degree of dysmyelinization according to MRI. CONCLUSION: MCT8 gene deficiency results in deviant myelinization and general atrophy, which is substantiated by the MR spectroscopy findings of increased choline and myoinositol levels and decreased N-acetyl aspartate. The observations suggest that different mutations in the MCT8 gene lead to differences in the severity of the clinical spectrum, dysmyelinization, and MR spectroscopy-detectable changes in brain metabolism.

Structural and functional neuroimaging in mild-to-moderate head injury.

Head injury is a major cause of disability and death in adults. Significant developments in imaging techniques have contributed to the knowledge of the pathophysiology of head injury. Although extensive research is available on severe head injury, less is known about mild-to-moderate head injury despite the fact that most patients sustain this type of injury. In this review, we focus on structural and functional imaging techniques in patients with mild-to-moderate head injury. We discuss CT and MRI, including different MRI sequences, single photon emission computed tomography, perfusion-weighted MRI, perfusion CT, PET, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, functional MRI and magnetic encephalography. We outline the advantages and limitations of these various techniques in the contexts of the initial assessment and identification of brain abnormalities and the prediction of outcome.