CT volume/density ratio as the marker of ischaemic brain injury

Kurzepa J, Bielewicz J, Czekajska‐Chehab E, Kurzepa J, Bartosik‐Psujek H, Grabarska A, Stelmasiak Z. CT volume/density ratio as the marker of ischaemic brain injury.
Acta Neurol Scand: 2011: 123: 310–315.
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives – We believe that the CT volume/density ratio (VDR) of infarcted area reflects the degree of brain tissue damage during ischaemic stroke (IS). Patients and methods – Forty six patients with IS were prospectively enrolled into the study. CT scan was performed on days 1 and 10 of hospitalization. S100BB serum level, gelatinase activities (MMP‐2 and MMP‐9) and neurological examination (NIHSS) were performed on days 1, 5 and 10 of IS. After 3 months, 42 patients were examined by functional disability scales: Barthel index (BI) and modified Rankin scale (mRS). Results – The VDR of ischaemic focus correlated well with the average S100BB serum level, MMP‐9 serum activity and NIHSS score. The weak but statistically significant relationships were noticed between the VDR vs BI and mRS estimated 3 months after stroke. Conclusion – VDR reflects well the damage ratio of brain tissue during IS. In addition, the study underlines the relationship between VDR vs patients’ neurological status and disability after IS.