Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Vegetative State

DTI reveals different patterns of white-matter damage in vegetative patients after trauma versus after ischemic/hypoxic injury.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality that measures the directionality, or fractional anisotropy (FA), of water diffusion along white-matter tracts. In this study, researchers used DTI to examine the white matter of patients in vegetative states after traumatic brain injury (TBI) or ischemic/hypoxic injury (IHI). The authors compared DTI measurements of FA in seven TBI patients and five IHI patients who had been in a vegetative state for at least 3 months at the time of image acquisition.

DTI detected lower FA in the supratentorial white matter and corpus callosum in both groups, compared with 32 healthy controls. These DTI findings correlated with functional-assessment measures and responses to audito…

Reviewing Authors

Brian L. Edlow, MD

David M. Greer, MD, MA