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Updated: Oct 4, 2025
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
Comparison of susceptibility weighted imaging with conventional MRI sequences in multiple sclerosis plaque
Masoud Rabbani1, Vahid Shaygannejad2, Mahshid Bahrami1
1Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Background:
The current study was performed to compare susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods of T2-weighted (T2W) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging in multiple sclerosis (MS) plaque assessment.
Materials And Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 MS patients referred to Shafa Imaging Center, Isfahan, Iran. Patients who fulfilled McDonald criteria and were diagnosed with MS by a professional neurologist at least 1 year before the study initiation were included in the study. Eligible patients underwent brain scans using SWI, T2W imaging, and FLAIR. Plaques' number and volume were detected separately for each imaging sequence. Moreover, identified lesions in SWI sequence were evaluated in terms of iron deposition and central veins.
Results:
Totally 50 patients (10 males and 40 females) with a mean age of 28.48 ± 5.25 years were included in the current study. Majority of patients (60%) had a disease duration of >5 years, and mean expanded disability status score was 2.56 ± 1.32. There was no significant difference between different imaging modalities in terms of plaques' number and volume (P > 0.05). It was also found that there was a high correlation between SWI and conventional imaging techniques of T2W (r = 0.97, 0.91, P < 0.001) and FLAIR (r = 0.99, 0.99, P < 0.001) in the estimation of both the number and volume of plaques (P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
The results of the present study indicated that SWI and conventional MRI sequences have similar efficiency for plaque assessment in MS patients.
Insights
Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) shows similar efficiency to conventional MRI sequences like T2-weighted and FLAIR for assessing multiple sclerosis (MS) plaques. This finding supports SWI as a viable tool for MS plaque evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Radiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) plaque assessment is crucial for diagnosis and monitoring.
- Conventional MRI sequences like T2-weighted (T2W) and FLAIR are standard for MS lesion detection.
- Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) offers potential advantages in visualizing certain tissue characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of SWI with T2W and FLAIR MRI sequences.
- To evaluate plaque number and volume in multiple sclerosis patients using different imaging modalities.
- To assess iron deposition and central veins in MS lesions identified by SWI.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 50 MS patients meeting McDonald criteria.
- Brain scans acquired using SWI, T2W, and FLAIR imaging sequences.
- Quantitative analysis of plaque number and volume, with qualitative assessment of SWI lesions.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed in plaque number or volume between SWI, T2W, and FLAIR.
- High correlations were found between SWI and T2W/FLAIR for plaque count and volume estimation (r=0.97-0.99, P<0.001).
- SWI demonstrated potential for evaluating iron deposition and central veins within MS lesions.
Conclusions:
- SWI demonstrates comparable efficiency to conventional MRI sequences (T2W, FLAIR) for MS plaque assessment.
- SWI is a valuable tool for evaluating MS lesions, potentially offering additional information on iron content.
- The findings support the integration of SWI into routine MS imaging protocols.
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