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Advanced Diffusion Imaging in The Hippocampus of Rats with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
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Microstructural brain abnormalities correlate with neurocognitive dysfunction in minimal hepatic encephalopathy: a

Jing-Li Li1, Heng Jiang2, Xiao-Dong Zhang1

  • 1Department of Radiology, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, 300192, China.

Neuroradiology
|March 29, 2019
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) reveals brain microstructure changes in minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). Specific DKI metrics show potential as neuroimaging markers for early MHE diagnosis in cirrhosis patients.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging
  • Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging

Background:

  • Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is a subclinical complication of cirrhosis.
  • Early diagnosis of MHE is crucial for timely intervention and management.
  • Current diagnostic methods may not be sensitive enough for early MHE detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the utility of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in diagnosing early MHE.
  • To assess the correlation between DKI metrics and cognitive performance in cirrhosis patients.
  • To identify potential neuroimaging biomarkers for MHE.

Main Methods:

  • 116 cirrhosis patients (61 non-HE, 55 MHE) and 46 healthy controls underwent cognitive testing and DKI MRI.
  • Voxel-based analysis (VBA) was used to calculate DKI metrics.
  • Pearson correlation and ROC curve analysis were performed to evaluate diagnostic efficiency.

Main Results:

  • MHE patients exhibited significant alterations in DKI metrics across various brain regions.
  • Lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and higher mean diffusivity (MD) were observed in specific white matter tracts.
  • Altered kurtosis metrics (MK, RK, AK) were also noted.
  • Axial diffusivity (AD) in the forceps minor showed the highest diagnostic performance for MHE (AUC=0.801).

Conclusions:

  • DKI can detect brain microstructure abnormalities associated with MHE.
  • Certain altered DKI metrics, particularly AD, show promise as neuroimaging markers for early MHE diagnosis.
  • These findings support the use of DKI in the clinical evaluation of cirrhosis patients.
Keywords:
Brain microstructureDiffusion kurtosis imagingHepatic encephalopathyVoxel-based analysis

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