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Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
08:51

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla

Published on: February 19, 2021

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Heterogeneity of Multiple Sclerosis White Matter Lesions Detected With T2*-Weighted Imaging at 7.0 Tesla

Bing Yao1,2, Vasiliki N Ikonomidou3,4, Fredric K Cantor3

  • 1Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Section Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD.

Journal of Neuroimaging : Official Journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
|February 7, 2015
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Iron deposits in white matter lesions (WM-Ls) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are visible using 7 Tesla (7T) MRI. These iron-rich WM-Ls appear across various MS stages, suggesting iron’s role in disease progression.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Neurology
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Postmortem studies reveal iron in multiple sclerosis (MS) white matter lesions (WM-Ls) using T2*-weighted (T2*-w) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7.0 Tesla (7T).
  • This iron manifests as a hyperintense rim surrounding a hypointense core in R2* relaxation rate images.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the in vivo relationship between iron-detectable WM-Ls and clinical/radiological characteristics in MS patients.
  • To correlate findings from high-field (7T) MRI with conventional (3T) MRI in MS.

Main Methods:

  • 16 MS patients were scanned using both 3T and 7T MRI scanners.
  • White matter lesions (WM-Ls) were identified on conventional T1-w and T2-w 3T-MRIs.
  • WM-Ls exhibiting an elevated R2* rim at 7T were counted and compared to their conventional MRI appearance.

Main Results:

  • 36 WM-Ls with an elevated R2* rim were identified in 10 patients.
  • 64% of these lesions corresponded to focal WM-Ls on T2-w 3T-MRIs; 36% partially overlapped larger lesions.
  • 56% of WM-Ls with an R2* rim corresponded to hypointense chronic black holes.

Conclusions:

  • WM-Ls with high R2* rims are observable across different stages of MS.
  • The presence of these iron-containing WM-Ls may indicate varying contributions of iron to MS pathogenesis and evolution.
Keywords:
7.0 teslaMultiple sclerosisT2*-weightedironmagnetic resonance imaging

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