Diagnostic Value of Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging Combined with Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Early Intracerebral Hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of early intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is gradually increasing and has been shown to affect an increasing number of younger people. Conventional imaging modalities might have a low detection rate of early and small ICH lesions. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) combined with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in early ICH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of 61 patients with early ICH diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) scan between January 2019 and February 2020 were assessed. Using CT as the gold standard, we compared the diagnostic sensitivity, accuracy, and imaging characteristics of SWI + DWI versus SWI or DWI alone. RESULTS: A total of 78 lesions were detected by CT in 61 patients with early ICH. The diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy of SWI + DWI were significantly higher than those of SWI or DWI alone. In terms of imaging characteristics, DWI demonstrated very low signal intensity in the hematoma center at different stages of early ICH with high signal intensity in the surrounding tissue, and the signal range gradually increased over time. By contrast, SWI displayed very low signal intensity at different stages, and the signal intensity also gradually increased over time. CONCLUSION: Compared with SWI or DWI alone, SWI combined with DWI could improve the detection rate of hematoma lesions in patients with early ICH.