EFFECTS OF THALAMIC HEMORRHAGE ON CORTICAL HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS ASSESSED BY PERFUSION MR-IMAGING - PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Thalamic lesions may induce a diffuse hypometabolism and subsequent de crease of cortical cerebral blood how (rCBF) and cerebral blood volume (rCBV). Up to now PET was used to assess these changes. However this latter method cannot be applied routinely to stroke patients because i t is expensive and not currently available. The purpose of this prelim inary study was to evaluate the effects of 'pure metabolic depression' induced by thalamic stroke on rCBV and rCBF by using a non invasive m ethod perfusion-MRT. Two patients experienced aphasia, with motor and sensory impairment related to thalamic hemorrhage. Four weeks later, d ynamic T2-weighted echo planar imaging was used to produce perfusion- MR images during an intravenous bolus injection of gadopentetate dimeg lumine. A decrease of cortical rCBV and rCBF mainly confined to sensor imotor cortex was observed in both cases ipsilateral to the lesion. Al though a sequential assessment of this abnormalities is needed in a la rger series of patients in order to establish relevant correlations wi th neurological status, this preliminary study indicates that perfusio n-MRI might be a practical and promising tool in the assessment of cor tical rCBV and rCBF changes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.