Assessment of therapeutic response in patients with brain abscess using diffusion tensor imaging

作者：Nath Kavindra; Ramola Mahesh; Husain Mazhar; Kumar Manoj; Prasad Kashi; Gupta Rakesh^*

来源：World Neurosurgery, 2010, 73(1): 63-68.

DOI：10.1016/j.surneu.2009.04.003

• Brain abscess
• Diffusion tensor imaging
• Fractional anisotropy
• Mean diffusivity
• Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Background: Accurate assessment of therapeutic response in patients with brain abscess (BA) is essential to direct appropriate therapy. This study was performed with an aim to see the treatment-induced changes in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indices (ie, fractional anisotropy [FA] and mean diffusivity [MD]) in follow-up patients with BA after treatment.
Methods: Twenty patients with BA were prospectively studied in this study. Diffusion tensor imaging in first follow-up was done in all after I week and in 6 at 4 weeks of the initial study.
Results: The mean FA and MD values in first, second, and third studies were 0.28 +/- 0.03 and (0.81 +/- 0.07) x 10(-3) mm(2)/s 0.18 +/- 0.09 and (1.08 +/- 0.09) x 10(-3) mm(2)/s, and 0.13 +/- 0.04 and (0.99 +/- 0.13) x 10-3 mm(2)/s, respectively. The FA value was significantly (P <.01) decreased along with no significant change in MD value (P =.08) for 3 study periods. The mean volume (in milliliter) of the abscesses was 2.14 +/- 1.04, 1.34 +/- 0.45, and 0.77 +/- 0.14 in first, second, and third studies, respectively.
Conclusions: We conclude that the reduction in FA value reflects the down-regulation of the neuroinflammatory molecules in response to treatment in patient with BA and may be used to assess therapeutic response in these patients in future.

• 出版日期2010-1
• 单位河北医科大学