Journal of neurology
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Journal of neurology · May 2010
Posterior circulation ASPECTS on diffusion-weighted MRI can be a powerful marker for predicting functional outcome.
There are few studies regarding functional outcome and lesion extent on diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) in patients with posterior circulation (PC) infarction. The aim of our study was to assess whether a newly proposed posterior circulation Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (pc-ASPECTS) on DWI is useful for predicting functional outcome in PC patients. One hundred thirty-two patients with first-ever ischemic stroke in the posterior circulation within 24 h of onset who were admitted to our hospital were enrolled in the study. ⋯ On MRI, F group patients had lower leukoaraiosis and medial temporal atrophy score and higher pc-ASPECTS score on DWI compared to U group patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed NIHSS (p < 0.001), END (p = 0.0057), pc-ASPECTS (p < 0.001), and leukoaraiosis (p = 0.0091) as independent predictors of functional outcome. pc-ASPECTS appears to be a powerful marker for predicting functional outcome, along with clinical severity and END. Leukoaraiosis may also be an independent predictor of functional outcome.