Diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced 3D FLAIR sequence in acute optic neuritis

Contrast-enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence of the brain has the potential for detecting optic nerve abnormality. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic value of whole-brain contrast-enhanced three-dimensional FLAIR with fat suppression (CE 3D FLAIR FS) sequence in detecting acute optic neuritis to dedicated orbit MRI and clinical diagnosis.

Twenty-two patients with acute optic neuritis who underwent whole-brain CE-3D-FLAIR FS and dedicated orbit MRI were retrospectively included. The hypersignal FLAIR of the optic nerve on whole-brain CE-3D-FLAIR FS, enhancement, and hypersignal T2W on orbit images were assessed. The optic nerve to frontal white matter signal intensity ratio on CE-FLAIR FS was calculated as maximum signal intensity ratio (SIR) and mean SIR.

Twenty-six hypersignals of optic nerves were found on CE-FLAIR FS from 30 pathologic nerves. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of CE FLAIR FS brain and dedicated orbital images for diagnosing acute optic neuritis were 77%, 93%, 96%, 65%, and 82% and 83%, 93%, 96%, 72%, and 86%, respectively. Optic nerve to frontal white matter SIR of the affected optic nerves was higher than that of normal optic nerves. Using a cutoff maximum SIR of 1.24 and cutoff mean SIR of 1.16, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy were 93%, 86%, 93%, 80%, and 89% and 93%, 86%, 93%, 86%, and 91%, respectively.

The hypersignal of the optic nerve on whole-brain CE 3D FLAIR FS sequence has qualitative and quantitative diagnostic potential in patients with acute optic neuritis.