Abstract
SUMMARY: We evaluated the DTI changes in the deep gray nuclei and dorsal brain stem, which demonstrated abnormal T2 and/or diffusion signal intensity, in 6 patients with infantile spasm treated with vigabatrin compared with 6 age-matched controls. Regions of interest were placed in the globi pallidi, thalami, and dorsal brain stem; FA, trace, D‖, and D⊥ were measured. Patients on vigabatrin had significantly lower FA in both globi pallidi (P = .01) and the dorsal brain stem (P < .01), significantly lower trace in both globi pallidi (P = .01) and the thalami (P = .02 and .01 for right and left, respectively), and significantly lower D‖ in both globi pallidi (P ≤ .01), the thalami (P < .01), and the dorsal brain stem (P = .03). There were no significant differences in D⊥ of the globi pallidi, thalami, or dorsal brain stem in patients compared with controls. The findings suggest that axonal changes play a greater role in the observed abnormal signal intensity, with lesser contribution from myelin changes.
Abbreviations
- D‖
- axial diffusivity
- D⊥
- radial diffusivity
- DB
- dorsal brain stem
- DTI
- diffusion tensor imaging
- FA
- fractional anisotropy
- GABA
- γ-aminobutyric acid
- GP
- globi pallidi
- ICC
- intraclass correlation coefficient
- IS
- infantile spasm
- L
- left
- MRI
- MR imaging
- R
- right
- Thal
- thalami
- TSC
- tuberous sclerosis complex
- VGB
- vigabatrin
- VGB-Pt
- patients on vigabatrin therapy with abnormal T2 and/or diffusion signal intensity on MR imaging
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