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Updated: Nov 25, 2025
Determining the Functional Status of the Corticospinal Tract Within One Week of Stroke
Published on: February 22, 2020
Prediction of muscle loss after stroke by analysis of corticospinal tract
Ah Young Lee1, Kyu Tae Choi2, Min Cheol Chang2
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Daegu Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Introduction:
Skeletal muscle loss induces a poor rehabilitation outcome after stroke. Little is known about the usefulness of diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) findings of the corticospinal tract (CST) in terms of predicting muscle loss in affected limbs after stroke.
Methods:
This research was designed as a preliminary study. Forty-four patients, with stroke onset more than one year earlier, were recruited. DTT was performed within 7-30 days after stroke onset. The patients were classified into two groups based on the DTT findings: a DTT+ group, in which the CST was preserved, and a DTT- group, in which the CST was interrupted by the stroke lesion. Additionally, the patients' functions were evaluated based on the modified Brunnstrom classification and functional ambulation category.
Results:
In the DTT- group, the values of the lean tissue mass of the affected upper and lower limbs were smaller than those of the unaffected side. On the other hand, in the DTT+ group, the values of the lean tissue mass between the affected and unaffected limbs were not significantly different.
Conclusion:
The DTT evaluation of CST at the early stage of stroke may be useful for predicting muscle loss of the affected limb at the chronic stage in stroke patients.
