Are White Matter Tract Integrities Different in Multiple Sclerosis Women With Voiding Dysfunction?

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Urology

Background:

• White matter tracts (WMTs), specifically the anterior thalamic radiation and superior longitudinal fasciculus, are implicated in bladder function.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS) can lead to voiding dysfunction (VD), potentially linked to distinct changes in these WMTs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare diffusion tensor imaging metrics (fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity) in WMTs between female MS patients with and without VD, and healthy controls (HCs).

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study of 28 female MS patients (14 voiders, 14 with VD) and 11 HCs.
• Diffusion tensor imaging was used to generate fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) maps.
• One-way ANOVA and pairwise comparisons analyzed mean FA and MD in WMTs.

Main Results:

• MS patients exhibited significantly lower FA and higher MD in both WMTs compared to HCs, indicating white matter damage.
• Patients with VD showed a trend towards lower FA and higher MD in these WMTs compared to MS patients without VD.

Conclusions:

• Reduced FA and increased MD in WMTs involved in bladder function are evident in MS women.
• Voiding dysfunction in MS may be associated with WMT damage, with a trend of deterioration observed in women with VD.
• Larger studies are needed to confirm the correlation between WMT integrity and VD in MS.