Delayed phases of contrast MRI, can it be valuable in multiple sclerosis active phase diagnosis?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS), monitoring disease recurrence, and detecting active lesions.
• Early detection of active MS lesions can improve treatment strategies and disease management.
• Optimal timing for delayed image acquisition in MS plaque evaluation remains an area for investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the enhancement patterns of MS plaques at different delayed phases using MRI.
• To determine if delayed imaging improves the detection and characterization of MS lesions.

Main Methods:

• An interventional study involving 40 MS patients with enhancing plaques on prior MRI.
• Gadolinium contrast agent administered at 0.1 mg/kg, with MRI scans acquired at 5 and 15 minutes post-injection.
• Statistical analysis performed using SPSS 23, with a significance level set at p<0.05.

Main Results:

• Significant differences observed in plaque signal intensity between 5-minute (mean 1190.20) and 15-minute (mean 1349.60) scans (p<0.001).
• Mean plaque total size increased significantly from 5.16 cm at 5 minutes to 7.04 cm at 15 minutes (p<0.001).
• Mean plaque number also showed a significant increase from 1.92 at 5 minutes to 2.58 at 15 minutes (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Delayed phase MRI imaging (15 min) enhances the detection of MS plaques compared to early phase imaging (5 min).
• Plaque intensity, size, and number are significantly greater in delayed phase images, indicating improved lesion visualization.
• These findings suggest that utilizing delayed phase imaging can improve the diagnostic accuracy and assessment of disease activity in multiple sclerosis.