MRI of Acute (<6 Hours) Ischemic Stroke Patients: A Comparison Between Diffusion-Related Parameters

Frank Peeters¹, Dennis Rommel¹, Andre Peeters², Cecile Grandin¹, Guy Cosnard¹, Thierry Duprez¹

The value of PW- and DW-related parameters for accurately predicting the ischemic penumbra at initial MR work-up in hyperacute stroke patients has remained probabilistic. In the frame we compared parameters obtained from DTI (2-points ADC, mono- and bi-exponential fits) and q-space imaging (tensor analysis) in a short preliminary cohort of seven hyperacute (<6 mours) stroke patients. Initial data analysis enhanced the value of using high b-values for stroke work-up. Anisotropic diffusion and QSI analysis added significantly to standard isotropic DWI and may have the potential to discriminate between worsening vs regressive infarction, and to delineate ischemic penumbra at admission work-up.