RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Value of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in Recent Cerebral Infarctions: A Correlative Study with Contrast-Enhanced T1-Weighted Imaging
JF American Journal of Neuroradiology
JO Am. J. Neuroradiol.
FD American Society of Neuroradiology
SP 193
OP 198
VO 20
IS 2
A1 Yamada, Naoaki
A1 Imakita, Satoshi
A1 Sakuma, Toshiharu
YR 1999
UL http://www.ajnr.org/content/20/2/193.abstract
AB BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The clinical usefulness and the time course of diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in acute and subacute cerebral infarction have not yet been established, although it is known that contrast-enhanced T1-weighted spin-echo imaging can detect a subacute infarct. Our aim was to study which imaging technique is useful in detecting recent infarcts, and whether an increase in ADC or a decrease in signal intensity on diffusion-weighted images is correlated with enhancement on T1-weighted spin-echo images.METHODS: Forty-one infarctions with a duration of 9 hours to 27 days were studied in 29 patients. The ADC and signal intensity on diffusion-weighted images were compared with the contrast-enhancement ratio (CER) on T1-weighted spin-echo images (CER = signal intensity after contrast injection/signal intensity before contrast injection).RESULTS: ADC was linearly correlated with CER, and signal intensity on diffusion-weighted images was inversely correlated with CER. The correlation between ADC and age of the infarct in the subacute phase was weak.CONCLUSION: Diffusion-weighted and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted spin-echo images complement each other in detecting subacute infarcts. Neovascularization and disruption of the blood-brain barrier in infarcts can be important in increasing ADC in subacute infarcts.