Which pathologic staining method can visualize the hyperacute infarction lesion identified by diffusion MRI?: A comparative experimental study.

Abstract Background The study aimed to establish a staining method that could delineate the macroscopic lesion boundary of a hyperacute infarction depicted by diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) and to validate the infarction boundary by comparing different staining methods. New Method Thirteen rats with 1 -h middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction were included. Five different staining methods (Hematoxylin and eosin (HE p = 0.000). Grading scores for ROIs in the DWI abnormal lesions varied by region: ROIA exhibited the most severe damage [median (IQR), 3 (1)], followed respectively by ROIB [median (IQR), 2 (0)] and ROIC [median (IQR), 1 (0)] Comparison with existing methods H&E stain best reflects 1 hour hyperacute DWI abnormal lesions. Conclusions H&E stain allowed for the macroscopic delineation of the 1 hour DWI-abnormal lesions, while MAP2 and Nissl stains could only partially depict lesions.