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Leukoaraiosis, ischemic stroke, and normal white matter on diffusion-weighted MRI
Johanna Helenius1, Lauri Soinne, Oili Salonen
1Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. johanna.helenius@hus.fi
Stroke
|January 10, 2002
Summary
Diffusion-weighted MRI reveals that leukoaraiosis severity correlates with higher apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCav) values. This technique distinguishes leukoaraiosis from normal white matter and acute ischemic strokes.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Leukoaraiosis presents as white matter hyperintensities on MRI, with unclear origins.
- Understanding leukoaraiosis requires advanced imaging techniques to differentiate it from other pathologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCav) values in leukoaraiosis correlate with severity.
- To determine if diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) can differentiate leukoaraiosis from normal white matter (WM) and ischemic strokes.
Main Methods:
- Compared 85 patients with leukoaraiosis, 22 healthy controls, and 10 patients with ischemic strokes.
- Utilized diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) with 1.5 T scanner and b values of 0 and 1000 s/mm(2).
- Measured ADCav values in leukoaraiotic regions, normal WM, and ischemic lesions at various time points.
Main Results:
- Higher leukoaraiosis severity correlated with increased ADCav values.
- ADCav values in leukoaraiosis (0.92-1.27) were significantly higher than normal WM (0.69) and acute ischemic strokes (0.36-0.51).
- One-month-old infarcts showed similar ADCav to leukoaraiosis, while 3-month-old infarcts had higher ADCav.
Conclusions:
- Leukoaraiosis exhibits distinct ADCav values on DWI.
- DWI effectively differentiates leukoaraiosis from acute and chronic ischemic stroke lesions.