Background: The aim of this study was to discuss the value of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in evaluating the ischemic penumbra of patients with acute cerebral ischemic stroke.
Methods: Data were collected from 52 patients with acute cerebral ischemic stroke upon clinical diagnosis and routine examinations of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including SWI, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) within 72 hours after onset in this retrospective study. The methods also included fusing the DWI and SWI images and calculating the volume of anomaly extension of DWI and PWI-MTT (mean transit time) using semi-automatic analysis software. The SWI-DWI and PWI-DWI mismatches were interpreted, and the statistical analysis was completed.
Results: The two physicians found that the ischemic penumbra consistency is high throughout the SWI-DWI and PWI-DWI mismatches, without a significant difference (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: SWI-DWI mismatch can prevent the injection of contrast agents and make an accurate diagnosis of acute stroke ischemic penumbra, which helps guide the selection of the clinical therapeutic plan.
Keywords: ischemic penumbra, diffusion-weighted imaging, susceptibility-weighted imaging, perfusion-weighted imaging