John O Glass1, Robert J Ogg1, Jung W Hyun2, Julie H Harreld1, Yimei Li2, Amar Gajjar3, and Wilburn E Reddick1
1Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States, 2Biostatistics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States, 3Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
This study assessed the longitudinal white
matter (WM) microstructure of 129 patients and 72 normal healthy age-similar
controls. WM volume, fractional anisotropy (FA), and radial (RAD) and axial
(AX) diffusivity trajectories were examined. After surgery but before any
additional therapy, frontal WM volume in patients was similar to controls, while
FA and AX were reduced in patients, suggestive of acute, indirect
microstructural/axonal injury caused by disease and/or surgical excision. Over the
next three years, AX, RAD, and WM volume decreased in patients, which would be
consistent with possible resolution of axonal swelling combined with chronic
demyelination.
