Evaluation of hyperacute cerebral ischemic lesions with transparent 3D visualization of echo-planar diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

Transparent three-dimensional (3D) visualization of hyperacute cerebral ischemic lesions was reconstructed using parallel volume-rendering algorithm by selecting the high signal intensity area for ischemic lesion and the low signal intensity area for parenchymal margin, respectively, from the volume dataset of echo-planar diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI). The 3D DWI can depict the ischemic lesions at the hyperacute stage of cerebral ischemia, transparently through the contours of brain and ventricular structures. Application of 3D DWI and evaluation of ischemic lesions were discussed in three cases of hyperacute cerebral infarction.