Diffusion Tensor Imaging for Predicting Hand Motor Outcome in Chronic Stroke Patients

Abstract

The three parameters, rFA, rλ23 and rMD may have predictive value for evaluating hand function outcome in chronic stroke patients.

Upper Extremity Motor Impairments and Microstructural Changes in Bulbospinal Pathways in Chronic Hemiparetic Stroke

“…These studies had key differences, such as using a clinical test that measures finger function (63), including lesioned voxels (65), and focusing on individuals with good recovery (68). However, a number of studies support our findings, in that they did not find any significant relationship between FA in the IL CST and motor impairment (49, 66, 67). The exact role of microstructural status of the IL CST in long-term impairment in chronic stroke individuals remains unclear.…”

“…However, there has not been an established consensus in previous works regarding the IL CST and impairment severity (26, 28, 49, 63–67). Some studies tested whether FA values along the CST relate to functional recovery during an intervention (26, 28, 47, 64).…”

Prediction of motor recovery after ischemic stroke using diffusion tensor imaging: A meta-analysis

“…China 42 20 h-7d MCA 57.17±14.48 31/11 <3 d FA MRC/BI 15 d Yu [23] 2009 China 9 <7 d IC/CR/BG 48±5 9/0 <2 w FA MI/NIHSS 1 y Koyam [24] 2014 Japan 16 14-18 d MCA 67.9 11/5 >3 m FA BRS/FIM >3 m Song [25] 2012 China 10 3 m IC/BG 59.7 8/2 3 m FA NIHSS/FMA 3 m Yang [26] [27] 2010 Canada 13 12 d PT 80.5 5/13 12 d FA NIHSS/RMFT 12 d/180 d Puig [28] 2010…”

“…One author (Jin JF) carried out an additional search of reference lists and another 5 studies were included. Fifteen studies [5,14,15,17,20,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] were included for fi nal analysis. Figure 1 showed a fl ow chart of retrieved and excluded studies with their reasons for exclusion.…”

Structural and Resting-State Brain Connectivity of Motor Networks After Stroke

“…4 All cross-sectional studies, using FA metrics (either regional FA or FA ratios between identical regions of interest in the affected and nonaffected hemispheres) agree that a decrease in FA at the level of the internal capsule, pons, or cerebral peduncles at 1 month after the event or later correlates with motor impairment in the chronic stage. [5][6][7][8][9] Tractography in those chronic cases indeed demonstrates a reduction of the tract volume, which may be interpreted as atrophy secondary to anterograde degeneration. 10,11 These metrics of PT integrity also seem to better correlate with motor impairment than lesion size alone 12 or task-based fMRI motor network activity 13 but are highly correlated with functional resting-state connectivity.…”