Citation

Mao H, Polensek SH, Goldstein FC, Holder CA, Ni C. J. Neuroimaging. 2007; 17(4): 292-294.

Affiliation

Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. hmao@emory.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Wiley)

DOI

10.1111/j.1552-6569.2007.00146.x

PMID

17894615

Abstract

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a common aftermath of brain trauma. The diagnosis of DAI is often difficult using conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We report a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study of a patient who sustained DAI presenting with language impairment. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and DTI tractography revealed a reduction of white matter integrity in the left frontal and medial temporal areas. White matter damage identified by DTI was correlated with the patient's language impairment as assessed by functional MRI (fMRI) and a neuropsychological exam. The findings demonstrate the utility of DTI for identifying white matter changes secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Language: en