Diffusion tensor imaging in acute-to-subacute traumatic brain injury: a longitudinal analysis

• Published in: BMC neurology 2016-01, Vol.16 (2), p.2-2, Article 2
• Main Authors: Edlow, Brian L, Copen, William A, Izzy, Saef, Bakhadirov, Khamid, van der Kouwe, Andre, Glenn, Mel B, Greenberg, Steven M, Greer, David M, Wu, Ona
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anisotropy; Brain; Brain Injuries - diagnosis; Corpus Callosum - pathology; Diffusion Tensor Imaging - methods; Female; Humans; Injuries; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Prognosis; White Matter - pathology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1471-2377; 1471-2377
• DOI: 10.1186/s12883-015-0525-8

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may have prognostic utility in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), but the optimal timing of DTI data acquisition is unknown because of dynamic changes in white matter water diffusion during the acute and subacute stages of TBI. We aimed to characterize the direction and magnitude of early longitudinal changes in white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) and to determine whether acute or subacute FA values correlate more reliably with functional outcomes after TBI. From a prospective TBI outcomes database, 11 patients who underwent acute (≤7 days) and subacute (8 days to rehabilitation discharge) DTI were retrospectively analyzed. Longitudinal changes in FA were measured in 11 white matter regions susceptible to traumatic axonal injury. Correlations were assessed between acute FA, subacute FA and the disability rating scale (DRS) score, which was ascertained at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. FA declined from the acute-to-subacute period in the genu of the corpus callosum (0.70 ± 0.02 vs. 0.55 ± 0.11, p