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T1 in subacute and chronic brain infarctions. Time-dependent development
Rationale And Objectives:
Time-dependent behavior of T1 in brain infarcts and in brain tissue of the contralateral hemisphere was studied in the subacute and early chronic stages of stroke.
Methods:
T1 was measured from magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of 29 patients as a function of infarct location and age. Another group of 11 patients was studied with consecutive MRI studies during the first 5 weeks after the onset of infarct, and the distribution of T1 in the infarctions was analyzed from T1 maps using a histographic method.
Results:
During the first 2 months after a stroke, T1 was longer in the infarcted gray matter than in the infarcted white matter (P = .002), and prolonged linearly in both. The histographic analysis showed a component arising from tissue breakdown products that could be identified for up to 5 weeks. A transient lengthening in T1 of the contralateral hemisphere, reaching a maximum at 3 weeks, also was observed.
Conclusions:
These characteristics of recent infarctions differentiate them from older, gliotic lesions. The lengthening of T1 in the contralateral hemisphere may reflect remote flow and metabolic effects of brain infarctions.