Abstract
Background and Purpose: We investigated the clinical usefulness of thin section diffusion weighted images (DWIs) in patients with acute cerebral infarction. Methods: Thin section DWI was examined in addition to conventional DWI in 258 patients with suspected acute cerebral infarction. Results: 1) Of these patients, 124 patients were diagnosed with cerebral infarction. 2) Of 124 patients, 112 patients (90.3%) were conventional DWI positive. 3) One hundred and twenty patients (96.7%) were thin section DWI positive, and detection rate was significantly higher than conventional DWI (p=0.0078). 4) The frequency of lacunar infarction revealed thin section DWI that was significantly higher than the frequency with conventional DWI (p=0.0067). 5) The comparison of interval times from onset to evaluation and distribution patterns of cerebral infarction showed no significant difference. Conclusion: The detection rate of cerebral infarction with thin section DWI was significantly higher than with conventional DWI. We recommend thin section DWI for patients with suspected acute cerebral infarction especially when conventional DWI is negative.
