Abstract #0307

Whole cord diffusion imaging of post-mortem human spinal cord injury reveals extent and potential timeline of axonal swelling and degeneration

Nikolai Lesack^1,2,3, Sarah Rosemary Morris^1,2,3, Taylor Swift-LaPointe², Andrew Yung^1,3,4, Valentin Prevost^1,3,4, Shana George⁵, Andrew Bauman⁴, Piotr Kozlowski^1,2,3,4, Farah Samadi^1,5, Caron Fournier^1,5, Lisa Parker⁶, Kevin Dong¹, Femke Streijger¹, G.R. Wayne Moore^1,5,6, Adam Velenosi¹, Veronica Hirsch-Reinshagen^1,5,6, Brian Kwon^1,7, and Cornelia Laule^1,2,3,5

¹International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ²Physics and Astronomy, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ³Radiology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ⁴Faculty of Medicine, UBC MRI Research Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ⁵Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ⁶Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada, ⁷Orthopaedics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Synopsis

Keywords: Microstructure, Spinal Cord, White Matter, Traumatic Injury, ActiveAx, Spinal Cord Injury, DTI, Myelin, Axons

Motivation: Following spinal cord injury (SCI) changes in tissue microstructure occur throughout the length of the cord which are not detectable with conventional MRI.

Goal(s): To characterize whole cord diffusion MRI metrics in human SCI post-mortem tissue, including the effect of injury-to-death interval on diffusion MRI metrics.

Approach: Two full-length spinal cords were imaged at 7T. DTI and ActiveAx metrics were extracted from white matter tracts.

Results: Changes in fractional anisotropy, axon density, and axon diameter were observed downstream of the injury epicentre in the case with a longer injury-to-death interval. Transience in diffusion metrics may indicate the extent of axonal degeneration and swelling.

Impact: Diffusion MRI may be a useful tool in understanding the extent and progression of spinal cord injury. Insight into axonal swelling and degeneration following spinal cord injury could aid clinicians in predicting patient prognosis.

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