Objective
To explore the application value of CT cerebral perfusion imaging in assessing disease severity and guiding surgical planning for patients with large-area cerebral infarction.
Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted on 126 patients with large-area cerebral infarction admitted to Xingtai Central Hospital from September 2021 to September 2023.All patients underwent CT cerebral perfusion imaging, and disease severity was evaluated using the National Institutes of Health stroke scale(NIHSS).Based on NIHSS scores, patients were categorized into mild (NIHSS score ≤ 4, 0 cases), moderate(NIHSS 5-20, 92 cases), and severe (NIHSS>20, 34 cases) groups.CT perfusion imaging was analyzed for detecting infarct location and size, comparing cerebral perfusion parameters across different brain regions,assessing correlations between perfusion parameters and disease severity, and informing surgical decision-making.
Results
Among 126 patients, infarct locations included the basal ganglia (34.13%, 43 cases), frontal lobe(29.37%, 37 cases), temporal lobe (25.40%, 32 cases), occipital lobe (17.46%, 22 cases), and parietal lobe(4.76%, 6 cases).Infarct volumes were categorized as 10-15 cm3 (42.06%, 53 cases), >15-25 cm3 (37.30%,47 cases), and >25 cm3 (20.64%, 26 cases).Compared to healthy contralateral regions, both the infarct core and ischemic penumbra showed significantly lower cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume(CBV), and higher time-to-peak (Tmax) and mean transit time (MTT) (all P<0.05).The severe group exhibited lower CBF and CBV and higher Tmax and MTT in the infarct core than the moderate group (P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis revealed negative associations between CBF/CBV and disease severity(r=-0.419, P<0.05; r=-0.522, P<0.05) and positive association between Tmax/MTT and disease severity(r=0.356, P<0.05; r=0.617, P<0.05).Logistic regression identified CBF, CBV, Tmax, MTT, and infarct volume as independent predictors of disease severity (P<0.05).Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated areas under the curve of 0.820 (CBF), 0.755 (CBV), 0.766 (Tmax), 0.842 (MTT), and 0.610(infarct volume) for severity assessment.All patients received medical treatment, with 94 undergoing arterial thrombolysis and 32 decompressive craniectomy.Postoperative survival was 94.44% (119/126), with 7 deaths and residual neurological sequelae in some survivors.
Conclusion
CT cerebral perfusion effectively identifies infarct location and vomule, evaluates disease severity, and provides critical insights for surgical planning in patients with large-area cerebral infarction.