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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Chronic Spinal Cord Compression
Published on: May 7, 2019
Relationship between auditory pathway fractional anisotropy and audibility in patients with cerebellopontine angle
Masahiko Kusaba1, Toshinori Takagi1, Yusuke Tomogane1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan.
Objective:
Recent reports demonstrated that acoustic nerve disorders affect the auditory pathway on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The aim was to investigate whether auditory pathway fractional anisotropy (FA) values are associated with audibility in patients with cerebellopontine angle tumors.
Patients And Methods:
Patients with cerebellopontine angle tumors were included in this retrospective study. Preoperatively, all patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including DTI. Two regions of interest on the lateral lemniscus (LL) and inferior colliculus (IC) were set bilaterally on DTI. FA values were calculated using software. Correlations between FA values and audibility were evaluated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05.
Results:
Seventeen patients with cerebellopontine angle tumors were included in this study. FA values in the bilateral LL showed a significant negative correlation with hearing impairment severity (r = -0.758, -0.600, p < 0.05). FA values on the ipsilateral side of the IC showed a significant negative correlation with hearing impairment severity (r = -0.477, p < 0.05). FA values on the contralateral side of the IC did not correlate with hearing impairment severity (r = -0.201, p > 0.05). One patient with a low FA value on the contralateral side of the IC had postoperative hearing impairment despite good preoperative hearing ability.
Conclusions:
FA values in the bilateral LL and on the ipsilateral side of the IC reflected hearing impairment severity. Decreased FA values on the contralateral side of the IC might predict hearing impairment postoperatively.
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