Abstract
The AF is an important neural tract in language function. We investigated aphasia outcome according to DTT findings for AF in the early stage of stroke. Twenty-five consecutive patients with aphasia and stroke and 12 control subjects were recruited. The AQ of K-WAB was used for the assessment of aphasia in the early stage of stroke (10-30 days) and at approximately 6 months after onset. We classified the patients into 3 groups according to the severity of left AF injury: type A, the AF was not reconstructed; type B, the AF was disrupted; and type C, the AF was preserved around the lesion. When comparing AQ among AF types at early evaluation, the type C score (32.84±18.05) was significantly higher than type A (3.60±2.73) (P<.05). However, no significant difference was observed between types A and B (18.02±17.19) or between types B and C (P>.05). At late evaluation, the AQ values of types B (52.43±25.75) and C (68.08±15.76) were higher than that of type A (10.98±3.90) (P<.05). However, there was no significant difference between types B and C. The aphasia outcome of the patients whose left AF could be reconstructed was better than that in patients whose left AF could not be reconstructed, irrespective of its integrity. We believe that evaluation of the left AF by using DTT in the early stage of stroke could be helpful in predicting aphasia outcome in patients with stroke.
Highlights
MethodsTwenty-five consecutive patients with aphasia and stroke and 12 control subjects were recruited
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEThe AF is an important neural tract in language function
We believe that evaluation of the left AF by using DTT in the early stage of stroke could be helpful in predicting aphasia outcome in patients with stroke
Summary
Twenty-five consecutive patients with aphasia and stroke and 12 control subjects were recruited. The twenty-five patients were recruited consecutively among 543 patients with stroke admitted to the department of rehabilitation from January 2009 to May 2011, according to the following inclusion criteria: 1) first-ever stroke: no previous history of cerebral ischemia or hemorrhage; 2) age range, 20ϳ75 years; 3) stroke lesion located at the left basal ganglia or/and corona radiata level; 4) aphasia, AQ score on K-WAB below 92.817; 5) presence of left AF injury defined when the FA value of the left AF deviated more than 2 SDs from the value of the control group or the integrity of the left AF was disrupted; 6) DTI scanning and early language evaluation performed within 30 days of stroke onset, and late language evaluation performed approximately 6 months after stroke onset; and 7) no history of head trauma or psychiatric disorder. It was performed at an early stage of stroke (mean, 20.6 days after onset; range, 10 –30 days) and approximately 6 months after onset (mean follow-up period, 171.5 days after onset; range, 93–354 days; 93–180 days, 14 patients; 180 –270 days, 9 patients; 270 –354 days, 2 patients) because most recovery has been known to be achieved during the first 3– 6 months after onset.[18,19,20,21,22] Both the reliability and validity of the K-WAB have been well established previously.[17,23]
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