Abstract #0277

Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Time-Dependent Axonal and Myelin Degradation After Carbon Monoxide Intoxication: White Matter Tract-Specific Quantification by Tract Probabilistic Map

Chun-Yi Lo¹, Wei-Che Lin^1,2, Chih-Hsueh Wang¹, Ai-Ling Hsu³, Ching-Po Lin^1,3

¹Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; ²Departments of Diagnostic Radiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; ³Institute of Brain Science, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

Patients with acute carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication may develop progressive white matter (WM) demyelination. We created WM parcellation atlas-based probabilistic maps of 5 major WM tracts. Automated tract-specific quantification of DTI parameters were performed to evaluation WM tract damage and the chronologic change in 17 patients with CO intoxication. The results revealed that decreasing fractional anisotropy were primarily driven by increasing radial diffusivity, which appeared to be more strongly correlated with demyelination in the initial presentation. Our finding supplements previous MRI studies by adding a level of anatomic detail to the relationship between white matter damage and cognitive dysfunction.