Abstract #0598

Predicting Functional and Histological Outcomes in Spinal Cord Injury: Comparing Double Diffusion Encoding and Diffusion Tensor Imaging in the Rat

Nathan Skinner^1,2, Shekar Kurpad^3,4, Brian Schmit⁵, Natasha Beucher³, Kyle Stehlik³, L. Tugan Muftuler³, and Matthew Budde³

¹Biophysics Graduate Program, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States, ²Medical Scientist Training Program, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States, ³Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States, ⁴Clement J Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI, United States, ⁵Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, United States

Using a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is compared to double diffusion encoding (DDE) at the acute and chronic stages after injury. Acute DDE measurements show a strong relationship with chronic functional outcomes whereas DTI has poor prognostic sensitivity. On the other hand, during the chronic stage, DTI outperforms DDE as a marker of functional status. The differences reflect evolving pathologies that must be considered for the appropriate application and interpretation of DTI and DDE. The results also highlight the prognostic potential of DDE in acute SCI.

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