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Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Chronic Spinal Cord Compression
Published on: May 7, 2019
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Tract-specific damage at spinal cord level in pure hereditary spastic paraplegia type 4: a diffusion tensor imaging
Francisco J Navas-Sánchez1,2, Luis Marcos-Vidal3,4,5, Daniel Martín de Blas3,4,5
1Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain. jnavas@hggm.es.
Journal of Neurology
|January 9, 2022
Summary
Hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG4) involves spinal cord axonal damage, particularly in the cervical and thoracic regions. Diffusion tensor imaging revealed significant changes related to disease severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Spinal Cord Imaging
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Background:
- Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is an upper motor neuron disorder characterized by axonal degeneration.
- SPG4 is a specific subtype of HSP affecting corticospinal tracts and fasciculus gracilis.
- Previous HSP neuroimaging studies primarily focused on structural spinal cord changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess diffusion-related and structural spinal cord characteristics in SPG4 patients using DTI.
- To investigate the relationship between diffusion changes and clinical data in SPG4.
- To identify tract-specific axonal damage in the spinal cord of SPG4 patients.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and structural analysis of the spinal cord.
- Analysis of 12 SPG4 patients and 14 healthy controls.
- Region of Interest (ROI) and voxelwise DTI analysis, alongside linear mixed effects models.
Main Results:
- SPG4 patients exhibited reduced cervical spinal cord cross-sectional area and anteroposterior flattening.
- Significantly decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity were observed at cervical and thoracic levels.
- FA changes correlated significantly with disease severity (Spastic Paraplegia Rating Scale score).
Conclusions:
- SPG4 involves tract-specific axonal damage in the cervical and thoracic spinal cord.
- These imaging findings correlate with the clinical degree of motor disability in SPG4 patients.
