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Published on: August 14, 2019
[MRI-DTI evaluation of punctate cerebral white matter damage in preterm infants]
1Department of Neonatology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China. maojian827@yahoo.com.cn.
Insights
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can quantify punctate cerebral white matter damage (CWMD) in preterm infants. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values are more accurate than apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values for evaluating CWMD severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Pediatric Neurology
- Medical Physics
Context:
- Preterm infants are susceptible to cerebral white matter damage (CWMD).
- Accurate assessment of CWMD is crucial for predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) offers advanced insights into white matter microstructure.
Purpose:
- To evaluate different degrees of punctate CWMD using DTI.
- To investigate the diagnostic value of DTI parameters, specifically apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA), for CWMD in preterm infants.
Summary:
- Thirty-one preterm infants were categorized into focal CWMD, widespread CWMD, and normal groups.
- ADC values were higher, and FA values were lower in both CWMD groups compared to the normal group.
- FA values showed a significant difference between focal and widespread CWMD, indicating greater damage in the latter.
Impact:
- DTI provides quantitative evaluation of punctate CWMD severity.
- FA values demonstrate higher accuracy than ADC values in assessing CWMD.
- This study enhances the understanding of DTI's role in characterizing white matter injury in neonates.
Objective:
To evaluate different degrees of punctate cerebral white matter damage (CWMD) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and to investigate the value of DTI for CWMD in preterm infants.
Methods:
Thirty-one preterm infants who were hospitalized in the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University between November 2011 and April 2012 were enrolled and divided into focal CWMD (n=11), widespread CWMD (n=10), and normal groups (n=10). The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values were determined in the periventricular regions of patients in three groups, and comparison of the two indices between the three groups was performed using one-way analysis of variance. The correlation between the changes in ADC and FA values was analyzed using the Pearson coefficient, and the color-encoded FA maps in the three groups were evaluated.
Results:
The ADC values in the focal CWMD and widespread CWMD groups were both significantly higher than in the normal group, while the FA values in the focal CWMD and widespread CWMD groups were both significantly lower than in the normal group. The FA value in the widespread CWMD group was significantly lower than in the focal CWMD group. The color-encoded FA maps after post-processing indicated that the normal group had the highest FA value in the periventricular white matter regions, followed by the focal CWMD group and the widespread CWMD group.
Conclusions:
The DTI technique can quantitatively evaluate the degree of punctate CWMD. The FA value may be more accurate than the ADC value in the evaluation of CWMD.
