White Matter Abnormalities in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

• DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a0856
• Publication Date: 2007-11-26T23:40:01Z
• Authors: D.R. Rutgers; F. Toulgoat; J. Cazejust; P. Fillard; P. Lasjaunias; D. Ducreux
• Keywords: Cingulum (brain); Abnormality; Fiber tract

<b>BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:</b> Traumatic axonal injury is a primary brain abnormality in head trauma and characterized by reduction of fractional anisotropy (FA) on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Our hypothesis was that patients with mild traumatic (TBI) have widespread white matter regions reduced FA involving variety fiber bundles show disruption tracking minority these regions. <b>MATERIALS METHODS:</b> Ethics committee approval informed consent were obtained. Twenty-one TBI investigated (men:women, 12:9; mean age ± SD, 32 9 years). In voxel-based comparison 11 control subjects 8:3; age, 37 years) using <i>z</i> score analysis, patient abnormally defined matter. MR imaging, DTI, characteristics described analyzed Pearson correlation, linear regression or the χ² test when appropriate. <b>RESULTS:</b> Patients had average 9.1 FA, region volume 525 mm³, predominantly found cerebral lobar matter, cingulum, corpus callosum. These mainly involved supratentorial projection bundles, callosal fibers, fronto-temporo-occipital association bundles. Internal capsules infratentorial relatively infrequently affected. Of all 19.3% showed discontinuity tracking. <b>CONCLUSION:</b> multiple various locations A