BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We hypothesize that in comparison to diffusion-weighted imaging, quantitative T2 values (qT2) are more directly related to water uptake in ischemic tissue, depending on time from symptom onset. We measured the increase of qT2 in the infarct core to quantify the correlation between time from symptom onset and change in qT2. METHODS: Thirty-six patients with acute ischemic stroke in the territory of the proximal middle cerebral artery underwent MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and a triple-echo T2 sequence (calculation of T2 maps) within 6 hours after symptom onset. Regions of decreased apparent diffusion coefficient
