3-DIMENSIONAL ANISOTROPY CONTRAST (3DAC) MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING OF THE HUMAN BRAIN - APPLICATION TO ASSESS WALLERIAN DEGENERATION

Three-dimensional anisotropy contrast (3DAC) magnetic resonance imagin g is a new algorithm for the treatment of apparent diffusion tensor us ing the three primary colors. To determine if 3DAC has a clinical appl ication for human brain, six normal volunteers and twenty patients wit h supratentorial cerebrovascular accidents were examined using clinica l magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the changes in the 3DAC images associated with Wallerian degeneration of the pyramidal tract were ev aluated, The 3DAC images exhibited impressive anatomical resolution, I n all chronic stage patients with hemiparesis, the colors in the pyram idal tract were faded, Patients examined during the acute stage who la ter recovered from hemiparesis had no visible changes of the 3DAC imag e, whereas patients who recovered poorly showed distinct color fading in the pyramidal tract within 14 days following stroke. In conclusion, very fine anatomical structures are visible on 3DAC images, and it ca n be used as a diagnostic tool for the human brain.