Abstract：【Objective】To explore the value of diffusion weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient (DWI-ADC) in the diagnosis of delayed encephalopathy caused by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.【Methods】A total of 120 patients with acute CO poisoning admitted to our hospital from February 2020 to February 2022 were selected. Four different sequences of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used to examine all patients and calculate the apparent diffusion coefficient value (ADC). The distribution of lesions in CO poisoning patients was analyzed,and the number of lesions detected in different lesion areas in different scanning sequences during MRI examination was compared. Spearman was used to analyze the correlation between the severity of CO poisoning patients and ADC values.【Results】Among the 120 patients with mild poisoning,35 had no abnormal MRI findings,accounting for 68.30% (35/52); 14 patients with moderate poisoning had no abnormal MRI findings,accounting for 25.45% (14/55); Two patients with severe poisoning had delayed encephalopathy,accounting for 15.38% (2/13). In different lesion areas and sequences of scans,the number of lesions detected by DWI was significantly higher than that on TSE-T2WI,SE-T1WI,and FLAIR-T2WI,with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in ADC values in the cerebral cortex of patients with different levels of CO poisoning (P>0.05); Compared with mild encephalopathy,the ADC values in the central half oval,paraventricular white matter,and globus pallidus of moderate,severe,and delayed onset encephalopathy were significantly reduced. Moreover,the ADC value of severe encephalopathy was lower than that of moderate,and the ADC value of delayed encephalopathy was lower than that of severe and moderate,with statistical significance (all P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that the severity of CO poisoning was negatively correlated with ADC values in the central oval,paraventricular white matter,and globus pallidus regions (all P<0.05).【Conclusion】DWI-ADC can predict the risk of delayed encephalopathy caused by CO poisoning in patients. The higher the DWI signal,the smaller the ADC value,indicating more severe white matter demyelination damage in patients,and the greater the risk of concurrent delayed encephalopathy.
2023, Vol. 40 
