Quantitative Assessment of Injury in Rat Spinal Cords In Vivo by MRI of Water Diffusion Tensor

Author: Krzyżak A. T.  

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

ISSN: 0937-9347

Source: Applied Magnetic Resonance, Vol.34, Iss.1-2, 2008-07, pp. : 3-20

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Abstract

Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of control and injured spinal cord of rats in vivo during first 6 h after the trauma was reported. DTI and histopathological results were compared. The aim of this work was to correlate the presence of damage of rat spinal cord with statistically significant changes in the apparent diffusion tensor components, in order to find the parameters that are useful in the visualization of the injury. Apparent diffusion tensor weighted data were measured in vivo 1 h after traumatic injury induced by a controlled weight drop on healthy and injured rat spinal cords for defined dozen regions of interest. Significant alternations in the injured regions of gray matter and white matter were detected. The differences in gray matter can be explained on the basis of cytotoxic edema due to ischemia and they are confirmed by the histological observations of neurons. The white matter changes in diffusional attributes are associated with the destruction of the nerve microstructure by the mechanical implant.

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