Skip to main content
Advertisement

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Publication Preview--Ahead of Print
    • Past Issue Archive
    • Case of the Week Archive
    • Classic Case Archive
    • Case of the Month Archive
  • For Authors
  • About Us
    • About AJNR
    • Editorial Board
    • American Society of Neuroradiology
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • More
    • Subscribers
    • Permissions
    • Advertisers
    • Alerts
    • Feedback
  • Other Publications
    • ajnr

User menu

  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
American Journal of Neuroradiology
American Journal of Neuroradiology

American Journal of Neuroradiology

  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Log in

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Publication Preview--Ahead of Print
    • Past Issue Archive
    • Case of the Week Archive
    • Classic Case Archive
    • Case of the Month Archive
  • For Authors
  • About Us
    • About AJNR
    • Editorial Board
    • American Society of Neuroradiology
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • More
    • Subscribers
    • Permissions
    • Advertisers
    • Alerts
    • Feedback
  • Follow AJNR on Twitter
  • Visit AJNR on Facebook
  • Follow AJNR on Instagram
  • Join AJNR on LinkedIn
  • RSS Feeds
Research ArticleSPINE

Cervical Cord Atrophy and Long-Term Disease Progression in Patients with Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

F.X. Aymerich, C. Auger, J. Alonso, M. Alberich, J. Sastre-Garriga, M. Tintoré, X. Montalban and A. Rovira
American Journal of Neuroradiology December 2017, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.A5495
F.X. Aymerich
aFrom the Magnetic Resonance Unit (F.X.A., C.A., J.A., M.A., A.R.), Department of RadiologycDepartment of Automatic Control (F.X.A.), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya–Barcelona Tech, Barcelona, Spain.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for F.X. Aymerich
C. Auger
aFrom the Magnetic Resonance Unit (F.X.A., C.A., J.A., M.A., A.R.), Department of Radiology
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for C. Auger
J. Alonso
aFrom the Magnetic Resonance Unit (F.X.A., C.A., J.A., M.A., A.R.), Department of Radiology
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for J. Alonso
M. Alberich
aFrom the Magnetic Resonance Unit (F.X.A., C.A., J.A., M.A., A.R.), Department of Radiology
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for M. Alberich
J. Sastre-Garriga
bCentre d'Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya (J.S.-G., M.T., X.M.), Department of Neurology/Neuroimmunology, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for J. Sastre-Garriga
M. Tintoré
bCentre d'Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya (J.S.-G., M.T., X.M.), Department of Neurology/Neuroimmunology, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for M. Tintoré
X. Montalban
bCentre d'Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya (J.S.-G., M.T., X.M.), Department of Neurology/Neuroimmunology, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for X. Montalban
A. Rovira
aFrom the Magnetic Resonance Unit (F.X.A., C.A., J.A., M.A., A.R.), Department of Radiology
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for A. Rovira
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cervical cord atrophy has been associated with clinical disability in multiple sclerosis and is proposed as an outcome measure of neurodegeneration. The aim of this study was to quantify the development of cervical cord atrophy and to evaluate its association with disability progression in patients with primary-progressive multiple sclerosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients with primary-progressive multiple sclerosis underwent 1.5T brain and spinal cord MR imaging at baseline and 6–7 years later. The cervical spinal cord from C1 to C5 was segmented to evaluate the normalized overall cross-sectional area and the cross-sectional area of C2–C3, C3–C4, and C4–C5. The annualized rates of normalized cross-sectional area loss were also evaluated. To estimate clinical progression, we determined the Expanded Disability Status Scale score at baseline and at 2 and 14 years after baseline to compute the normalized area under the curve of the Expanded Disability Status Scale and the Expanded Disability Status Scale changes from baseline to the follow-up time points. Associations between the cord cross-sectional area and brain MR imaging and clinical measures were also investigated. Finally, the value of all these measures for predicting long-term disability was evaluated.

RESULTS: Some normalized cross-sectional area measurements showed moderate correlations with the normalized area under the curve of the Expanded Disability Status Scale, ranging from −0.439 to −0.359 (P < .05). Moreover, the annualized rate of the normalized mean cross-sectional area loss and the baseline Expanded Disability Status Scale were independent predictors of long-term disability progression.

CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that development of cervical cord atrophy is associated with progression of disability and is predictive of this event in patients with primary-progressive MS.

ABBREVIATIONS:

aNMCSA
annualized normalized mean cross-sectional area loss rate between the baseline and follow-up examination
BPF
brain parenchymal fraction
CSA
cross-sectional area
EDSS
Expanded Disability Status Scale
NMCSA
normalized mean CSA
NCSA23
normalized CSA at the C2–C3 level
NCSA34
normalized CSA at the C3–C4 level
NCSA45
normalized CSA at the C4–C5 level
PPMS
primary-progressive multiple sclerosis
T1LV
T1 lesion volume
T2LV
T2 lesion volume

Footnotes

  • Disclosures: Cristina Auger—UNRELATED: Payment for Lectures Including Service on Speakers Bureaus: Novartis, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Biogen Idec, Stendhal. Jaume Sastre-Garriga—UNRELATED: Consultancy: Almirall; Grants/Grants Pending: Bayer AG, Sanofi Genzyme*; Payment for Lectures Including Service on Speakers Bureaus: Teva Pharmaceuticals, Biogen Idec, Novartis, Roche, Almirall, Merck Serono, Celgene, Sanofi Genzyme; Payment for Development of Educational Presentations: Merck Serono. Mar Tintoré—UNRELATED: Board Membership: Almirall, Bayer AG, Biogen Idec, Sanofi Genzyme, Merck Serono, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Roche, Teva Pharmaceuticals; Grants/Grants Pending: Almirall, Bayer AG, Biogen Idec, Sanofi Genzyme, Merck Serono, Novartis, Sanofi Aventis, Roche, and Teva Pharmaceuticals*; Payment for Lectures Including Service on Speakers Bureaus: Almirall, Bayer AG, Biogen Idec, Sanofi Genzyme, Merck Serono, Novartis, Sanofi Aventis, Roche, and Teva Pharmaceuticals; Payment for Development of Educational Presentations: Almirall, Bayer AG, Biogen Idec, Sanofi Genzyme, Merck Serono, Novartis, Sanofi Aventis, Roche, and Teva Pharmaceuticals. Xavier Montalban—UNRELATED: Consultancy: Actelion, Almirall, Bayer AG, Biogen, Celgene, Hoffmann-La Roche, Merck Serono, Novartis, Oryzon Genomics, Sanofi Genzyme, Teva Pharmaceuticals. Alex Rovira—UNRELATED: Board Membership: Novartis, Sanofi Genzyme; Payment for Lectures Including Service on Speakers Bureaus: Bayer AG, Stendhal Americas, Sanofi Genzyme, Bracco, Merck Serono, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Roche, Biogen Idec; Payment for Development of Educational Presentations: Biogen Idec. *Money paid to the institution.

  • Paper previously presented, in part, at: Annual Meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, October 7–10, 2015; Barcelona, Spain.

  • © 2018 by American Journal of Neuroradiology
View Full Text

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

patientACCESS

patientACCESS - Patients desiring access to articles
PreviousNext
Back to top
Advertisement
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Journal of Neuroradiology.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Cervical Cord Atrophy and Long-Term Disease Progression in Patients with Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Journal of Neuroradiology
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Journal of Neuroradiology web site.
Citation Tools
Cervical Cord Atrophy and Long-Term Disease Progression in Patients with Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
F.X. Aymerich, C. Auger, J. Alonso, M. Alberich, J. Sastre-Garriga, M. Tintoré, X. Montalban, A. Rovira
American Journal of Neuroradiology Dec 2017, DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.A5495

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Cervical Cord Atrophy and Long-Term Disease Progression in Patients with Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
F.X. Aymerich, C. Auger, J. Alonso, M. Alberich, J. Sastre-Garriga, M. Tintoré, X. Montalban, A. Rovira
American Journal of Neuroradiology Dec 2017, DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.A5495
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • ABBREVIATIONS:
    • Materials and Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Conclusions
    • Acknowledgments
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Scopus
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Crossref (1)
  • Google Scholar

This article has been cited by the following articles in journals that are participating in Crossref Cited-by Linking.

  • Quantifying multiple sclerosis pathology in post mortem spinal cord using MRI
    K. Schmierer, A. McDowell, N. Petrova, D. Carassiti, D.L. Thomas, M.E. Miquel
    NeuroImage 2018

More in this TOC Section

  • Differentiating Atypical Hemangiomas and Metastatic Vertebral Lesions: The Role of T1-Weighted Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI
  • Percutaneous CT-Guided Biopsies of the Cervical Spine: Technique, Histopathologic and Microbiologic Yield, and Safety at a Single Academic Institution
  • MRI Features of Aquaporin-4 Antibody–Positive Longitudinally Extensive Transverse Myelitis: Insights into the Diagnosis of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders
Show more Spine

Similar Articles

Advertisement

News and Updates

  • Thanks to our 2017 Reviewers
  • 2017 Lucien Levy Best Research Article Award
  • Press Releases

Resources

  • Evidence-Based Medicine Level Guide
  • How to Participate in a Tweet Chat
  • AJNR Podcast Archive
  • Ideas for Publicizing Your Research
  • Librarian Resources
  • Terms and Conditions

Opportunities

  • Share Your Art in Perspectives
  • Get Peer Review Credit from Publons
  • Moderate a Tweet Chat
  • Free CME for Literature Searches

American Society of Neuroradiology

  • Neurographics
  • ASNR Annual Meeting
  • Fellowship Portal
  • Position Statements

© 2018 by the American Society of Neuroradiology | Print ISSN: 0195-6108 Online ISSN: 1936-959X

Powered by HighWire