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AJNR - American Journal of Neuroradiology

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American Journal of Neuroradiology 28:278-282, February 2007
© 2007 American Society of Neuroradiology

BRAIN

Diffusion Tensor Tractography-Based Group Mapping of the Pyramidal Tract in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients

F. Lin^a, C. Yu^b, T. Jiang^a, K. Li^b and P. Chan^c

^a National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
^b Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
^c Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Address correspondence to Tianzi Jiang, PhD, National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, People’s Republic of China; e-mail: jiangtz{at}nlpr.ia.ac.cn

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Many studies have reported abnormal changes in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) by histogram and region-of-interest–based methods by using diffusion tenor imaging. However, there are few studies on specific white matter fiber tracts of RRMS. Our study sought to use diffusion tensor tractography–based group mapping to investigate the presence of abnormal diffusion in the normal-appearing pyramidal tract (PYT) of RRMS and its possible mechanism.

METHODS: A PYT probability map was first constructed from data on 20 healthy patients based on the deterministic-based tractography method. The PYT probability map was then applied to 29 RRMS patients to calculate diffusion indices of the PYT. In this study, 4 quantitative indices—fractional anisotropy (FA), directionally averaged diffusion coefficient (D_av), axial diffusion coefficient (₁), and radial diffusion coefficient (₂₃)—were used to characterize the abnormal diffusion.

RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, RRMS patients had a significantly higher D_av and ₂₃ but a lower FA and a trend toward a lower ₁ in the normal-appearing PYT. In RRMS patients, PYT lesions had a significantly higher ₂₃ and a lower FA, but there were no differences for D_av and ₁ when compared with the normal-appearing PYT. Moreover, the diffusion indices derived from the normal-appearing PYT were significantly correlated with PYT lesion volumes by using the Spearman correlation analysis.

CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm the presence of abnormal diffusion in the normal-appearing PYT of RRMS patients and suggest that wallerian degeneration might be its mechanism.

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