Applied study of functional MRI and DTI in cerebral gliomas
QIU Ming-guo1, WANG Jian2, XIE Bing2, WU Bei-hai2, LI Qi-yu1, LIU Guang-jiu1, ZHANG Shao-xiang1
1. Department of Anatomy, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China;2. Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Chongqing 400038, China
Abstract：Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of ADC and FA value in differentiating solid tumor, necrotic region, edema region and in grading the malignancy of cerebral gliomas, and try to evaluate the combined use of fMRI and DTI in presurgical planning and surgical navigation. Methods: Eighteen patients with glioma were imaged at 1.5T using T1-weighted, T2-weighted, contrast T1-weighted, fMRI and DTI sequences. The ADC and FA value were measured in solid tumor, necrotic region and edema region. Brain activity was measured with SPM software, and the functional MRI images were integrated into the T1-weighted and FA maps and transferred to MRI-based neuronavigational system. Results: The ADC values of the solid portion of high-grade gliomas were significantly lower than those of low-grade gliomas. The ADC threshold between low grade and high grade gliomas was 1.21×10-3mm2/s. The FA values of the solid portion of high-grade gliomas were significantly higher than those of low-grade gliomas. The FA threshold between low grade and high-grade gliomas was 0.17. Combined fMRI and DTI can establish spatial relationships between eloquent white matter, motor and vision functional area and the tumor borders, and provide a better estimation of the proximity of tumor borders to eloquent brain systems. Conclusion: DTI can distinguish between high-grade and low-grade gliomas, combined fMRI and DTI can provide information essential to preoperative planning, avoiding injury to the brain functional area and pyramidal tract.
2009, Vol. 20 
