T2*-Weighted and Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging Differentiation of Cerebral Fat Embolism From Diffuse Axonal Injury

This study differentiates cerebral fat embolism (CFE) and diffuse axonal injury (DAI) on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) and T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Methods: Consecutive CFE and DAI cases were retrospectively selected. Hemorrhages were characterized by number, size/shape, and distribution, whereas DWI lesions by pattern. The number of hemorrhages was compared using the Mann-Whitney test with adjustment for multiple comparisons, whereas DWI abnormality was compared using Fisher exact test. Results: Seven CFE and 20 DAI patients were included. Cerebral fat embolism had significantly more hemorrhages than DAI (mean, 670 ± 407 vs 136 ± 87; P = 0.01), particularly in the frontal (P = 0.025), parietal (P = 0.002), and occipital lobes (P = 0.01), the corpus callosum (P = 0.01), and cerebellum (P = 0.01). Cerebral fat embolism microhemorrhages were punctate/round, whereas DAI hemorrhages were small/medium sized (P
Source: Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography - Category: Radiology Tags: Neuroradiology Source Type: research