| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000)
Fiscal Year 2005: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥2,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000)
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| Research Abstract |
To establish the objective diagnostic imaging method for high order brain function disability by traumatic micro-brain damage with diffuse axonal injury, we performed the optimization of MR imaging sequence on volunteers mainly using 3T magnet. Firstly, we optimized whole brain 3D acquisition method, then we optimized diffusion tensor imaging method for whole brain. We have shown that 3D-FLAIR sequence allows less CSF pulsation artifact compared to conventional 2D method. For diffusion tensor imaging, we have shown that 2mm isotropic data can be obtained for 6 axis MPG in 4 minutes with sufficient image quality. To show the feasibility of fiber tracking, we put attention to trigeminal nerve bundle in prepontine cistern, and have shown that trigeminal nerve can be visualized reliably. Based on these basic results, we obtained patients' data for T2^*, Susceptibility weighted image (SWI), diffusion tensor imaging, and 3D-FLAIR. With SWI, small traumatic hemorrhage foci was visualized that cannot be visualized by previous methods. Brain fiber tracking with diffusion tensor data revealed that this method is able to predict the prognosis of neurological outcome in the early stage of head trauma course. Also we learned that many traumatic patients are restless, thus further reduction in scan time is necessary for the wide spread of this method in clinical setting. Finally, we evaluate the contrast media distribution after long time of injection using 3D-FLAIR. These results were published on American Journal of Neuroradiology and European Radiology. We also presented at Japanese society of magnetic resonance meeting. We published the book entitled "Easy understanding of diffusion weighted images" from Shu-jyun-sha.
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