RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Comparison of T2 lesion volume and magnetization transfer ratio histogram analysis and of atrophy and measures of lesion burden in patients with multiple sclerosis.
JF American Journal of Neuroradiology
JO Am. J. Neuroradiol.
FD American Society of Neuroradiology
SP 1055
OP 1060
VO 19
IS 6
A1 M D Phillips
A1 R I Grossman
A1 Y Miki
A1 L Wei
A1 D L Kolson
A1 M A van Buchem
A1 M Polansky
A1 J C McGowan
A1 J K Udupa
YR 1998
UL http://www.ajnr.org/content/19/6/1055.abstract
AB PURPOSE The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to compare two different measures of lesion burden in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) histogram and T2 lesion volume; and, second, to investigate the relationship between lesion burden and atrophy in patients with MS.METHODS Thirty patients with MS were examined with MR imaging, including fast spin-echo T2- and proton density-weighted sequences as well as magnetization transfer sequences. The lesion burden in each subject was quantitated by MTR histographic analysis and by a computer-based method for calculating the total volume of lesions on T2-weighted images. Additionally, the CSF volume, the brain parenchymal volume, and the percentage of brain parenchymal volume were determined in all patients by using this method and were compared with measurements in eight control subjects.RESULTS Significant loss of parenchymal volume was seen in patients with MS as determined by increased CSF volume and decreased percentage of brain parenchymal volume relative to that in age-matched control subjects. An inverse correlation was observed between the peak height of the MTR histogram and T2 lesion volume. T2 lesion volume corresponded positively with CSF volume and inversely with percentage of brain parenchymal volume. The peak height of the MTR histogram corresponded positively with percentage of brain parenchymal volume and inversely with CSF volume.CONCLUSION MS patients sustain a significant loss of parenchymal volume (atrophy), which corresponds strongly with increasing lesion burden. T2 lesion volume and peak height of the MTR histogram show good correlation, and the peak height of the MTR histogram shows a superior correlation with measures of brain atrophy as compared with measurements of T2 lesion volume, suggesting that the MTR histogram may be a better indicator of global disease burden than is T2 lesion volume.