Prediction of motor outcome for hemiparetic stroke patients using diffusion tensor imaging: A review.

We reviewed relevant diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies on prediction of motor outcome in hemiparetic stroke patients in order to evaluate the following objectives: characteristics of DTI for prediction of motor outcome in stroke patients, previous DTI studies, and future direction. DTI offers the unique advantage of visualization and estimation of the corticospinal tract, which is the most important neural tract for motor function. Although prediction of motor outcome is a very important topic for clinicians, only about a dozen DTI studies have been reported on this topic. These studies can be classified into two groups: 1) studies for adoption of DTI parameters as a potential marker for prediction of motor outcome in stroke patients, and 2) studies for analysis of the integrity of the corticospinal tract in prediction of motor outcome. In order to increase the predictability of motor outcome, studies according to the somatotopy and studies combined with transcranial magnetic stimulation are necessary. Other additional studies on optimal DTI scanning time for motor prediction will also be required.