Diffusion Tensor Imaging Parameter Obtained during Acute Blunt Cervical Spinal Cord Injury in Predicting Long-Term Outcome.

There are no reliable neuroimaging biomarkers to predict long-term outcome after spinal cord injury. This prospective longitudinal study evaluates diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in predicting long-term outcome after cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI). We investigate the admission DTI parameters measured in 30 patients with CSCI, with 16 of them followed up to one year, and 15 volunteers serving as controls.