Quantitative brain diffusion-tensor MRI findings in patients with sickle cell disease

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder with known neurological complications.
• Brain involvement in SCD can lead to significant long-term disability.
• Understanding brain microstructural changes is crucial for managing SCD patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate brain microstructural integrity in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) using diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI).
• To compare DTI metrics between SCD patients and age/sex-matched healthy controls.
• To investigate fiber tractography of the corpus callosum (CC) and corticospinal tracts (CSTs) in SCD.

Main Methods:

• Conventional MRI and DTI scans were performed on 16 patients with SCD and 14 healthy controls.
• Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were calculated for various brain regions.
• Diffusion-tensor tractography was used to analyze the CC and CSTs.

Main Results:

• Patients with SCD exhibited significantly reduced FA and/or increased ADC values in multiple brain areas, including the CC, frontal white matter, and brainstem.
• Reduced fiber counts were observed in the CC and bilateral CSTs of SCD patients.
• These microstructural abnormalities were statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• DTI is effective in detecting microstructural brain abnormalities in patients with SCD.
• The findings highlight widespread white matter compromise in the SCD brain.
• These DTI-derived changes may contribute to the neurological deficits seen in SCD.