Unilateral visual loss due to ischaemic injury in the right calcarine region: a functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tension imaging follow-up study

To study the functional recovery of a patient with cerebrovascular injury using combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). A 24-year-old woman with left hemianopsia underwent fMRI and DTI in a 1.5-tesla machine both in the acute phase and 1 month after an ischaemic stroke involving the right calcarine cortex. Acute-phase fMRI demonstrated that peripheral left visual field stimulation did not activate the right primary visual cortex, whereas stimulation 1 month later activated the visual cortex bilaterally. Analysis of acute-phase DTI data disclosed that a reduction of fractional anisotropy in the right optic radiation had almost resolved after 1 month. Fibre direction was normal at either time point. fMRI and DTI can demonstrate functional damage and recovery in patients with neuro-ophthalmological lesions.