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Quantitative brain volumetric analysis from patients with multiple sclerosis: a follow-up study
M Inglese1, M Rovaris, L Giacomotti
1Neuroimaging Research Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Scientific Intitute H San Raffaele, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Journal of the Neurological Sciences
|November 24, 1999
Summary
Brain volume loss in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients was significantly higher in those experiencing worsening disability. This study correlated MRI-measured brain atrophy with clinical decline over one year.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system.
- Brain atrophy is a recognized feature of MS, but its correlation with clinical progression over short intervals requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure brain volume changes in MS patients over one year using MRI.
- To correlate these volumetric changes with alterations in disability status.
Main Methods:
- Three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MP-RAGE) MRI scans were acquired at baseline and after one year.
- Brain volume was quantified, and changes were compared between patients with and without disability progression (Expanded Disability Status Scale - EDSS).
Main Results:
- Patients with a deterioration in EDSS scores exhibited a mean total brain volume decrease of -4.7%, which was ten times higher than the -0.4% decrease observed in patients with stable EDSS scores.
- A greater decrease in brain volume was noted in MS patients with clinical evolution compared to those with unchanged disability over the one-year follow-up period.
Conclusions:
- Accelerated brain volume loss is associated with clinical disability progression in multiple sclerosis patients over a one-year period.
- MRI-derived brain volume changes can serve as a sensitive marker for monitoring disease activity and progression in MS.