THE EFFECTS OF A BUTANEDIOL TREATMENT ON ACUTE FOCAL CEREBRAL-ISCHEMIA ASSESSED BY QUANTITATIVE DIFFUSION AND T-2 MR-IMAGING

Increased water T-2 values indicates the presence of vasogenic edema, Decreased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps reveal ischemic ar eas displaying cytotoxic edema, ADC, and T-2 abnormalities spread thro ugh the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory up to 24 h after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Also, it was found that ADC and T-2 contours closely match at 3.5 and 24 h, Since butanediol reduces vaso genic edema and improves energy status in various models of ischemia, we used these two techniques to investigate putative improvements in c ytotoxic and vasogenic edema after permanent MCAO performed on rats, R ats were given no treatment (n = 8), or a treatment with 25 mmol/kg in traperitoneal (i.p.) butanediol (n = 5), 30 min before and 2.5 h after MCAO. Quantitative ADC and T-2 maps of brain water were obtained, fro m which the volumes presenting abnormalities were calculated at variou s time points up to 24 h, Effects of butanediol on the ADC and T-2 val ues in these areas were determined, Butanediol reduced neither the ADC volume nor the initial ADC decline. However, it reduced T-2 volumes b y 32% at 3.5 h and 15% at 24 h (p < 0.05), and reduced T-2 increase in the striatum at 3.5 h post-MCAO. Therefore, our results show for the first time that a pharmacological agent such as butanediol can delay t he development of vasogenic edema but does not limit the development o f vasogenic edema but does not limit the development of cytotoxic edem a, ADC imaging detects areas of severe metabolic disturbance but not m oderately ischemic peripheral areas where butanediol is presumed to be more efficacious. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.