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Abstract #4492

Characterization of Mild Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury in Multiple White Matter Tracts in a Neonatal Rat Model by Diffusion Tensor MR Imaging

Silun Wang1,2, ED X. WU3, Ho-fai Lau3, Jing Gu1, Jinyuan Zhou2, Pek-lan Khong1

1Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong; 2Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 3Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong


We evaluated hypoxic-ischemic (HI)-induced white matter (WM) injury in a mild HI neonatal rat model from Day1 to 90 post-HI by DTI. Results showed that significantly decreased FA in multiple injured WM tracts, including external capsule (EC), fornix (F), cerebral peduncle (CP) and optical tracts (OT), at different time points, but no differences were demonstrated in anterior commissure (AC). Our results support the use of DTI as an imaging biomarker to non-invasively monitor the severity and longitudinal changes of mild HI-induced WM injury. Different severity and patterns of WM tract injury may reflect disturbances of cerebral blood supply in this ischemic animal model.