Quantitative study on MR diffusion tensor imaging at acute stage of radiation-induced brain injury / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the sensibility of radiation-induced normal brain injury in different regions at acute stage after all cranial radiotherapy by MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).Methods A total of 44 patients with brain tumors undergoing whole cranial radiotherapy were examined with convention and enhancement magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging before and three weeks after radiotherapy.The apparent diffusion coefficient ( ADC ),fractional anisotropy ( FA),relative anisotropy (RA) and volume ratio(VR) of DTI in contralateral brain hemisphere after radiotherapy with the dose of 27 Gy were measured and analyzed in different regions.Results No abnormal signal intensities were revealed in convention and enhancement MRI.ADC values in superficial cerebral convolution gray matter,ADC and VR values in deep gray nucleus were increased(t =- 3.321,- 2.810,P ＜ 0.05 ),while FA and RA values in deep gray nucleus were descended( t =2.906,2.349,P ＜0.05 ).There was no statistically significant difference among DTI index in other regions.Conclusions The brain gray matter more sensitive to radiation-induced brain injury in than white matter at acute stage of radiation.DTI could be used to evaluate the functional changes at the histocytology level of radiation-induced brain injury,and to explain the early clinical reactions after radiotherapy.