MR diffusion tensor imaging of ischemic brain in vivo

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides intravoxel microstructural and microdynamic information about tissues that reflects their physiological state. The authors use DTI to assess changes in water mobility in an in vivo model of cerebral ischemia in cats. They use four estimated scalar quantities: the 3 principal diffusivities (λ₁, λ₂, and λ₃) and the T₂-weighted NMR signal (A(0)), as features with which to segment both normal and pathological tissues. While the authors can use these parameters to discriminate between normal and ischemic white and gray matter in cats, they are evaluating their use to distinguish between reversibly and irreversibly damaged tissues during stroke and other white matter diseases