Fiber-tracking method reveals sensorimotor pathway involvement in stroke patients.

We tested the feasibility of a new MRI technique that provides visualization of the sensorimotor tracts in vivo in a group of stroke victims. Fourteen patients with small infarctions involving the white matter of the supratentorial brain were evaluated. Sensorimotor tracts on the lesional and contralesional sides were successfully depicted in all cases. The position of the sensorimotor tracts relative to the infarct was in good agreement with clinical symptoms. The overall sensitivity and specificity for sensorimotor tract involvement were 100% and 77%, respectively. Our proposed fiber-tracking method was shown to be a clinically feasible technique that correlates well with clinical symptoms.