Differences in Brain Atrophy Pattern between People with Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Diseases with Central...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Brain MRI findings in systemic diseases with central nervous system involvement (SDCNS) can mimic those of multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Accurate differentiation is crucial for appropriate patient management and treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess and compare brain volume parameters using two-dimensional linear measurements (2DLMs) in patients with MS and SDCNS.
• To identify MRI characteristics that can help distinguish between MS and SDCNS.

Main Methods:

• Utilized two-dimensional linear measurements (2DLMs), including bicaudate ratio (BCR), corpus callosum index (CCI), and width of the third ventricle (W3V).
• Analyzed brain MRI scans from 58 MS patients and 41 SDCNS patients.
• Correlated 2DLMs with age and lesion volumes (T1LV, T2LV).

Main Results:

• In SDCNS patients, age significantly affected all 2DLMs (CCI, BCR, W3V).
• In MS patients, age affected BCR and W3V, while BCR and W3V correlated with T1LV and T2LV.
• BCR was significantly higher in SDCNS, and CCI was significantly lower in MS patients.
• A predictive model using gender, BCR, and T2LV achieved high accuracy (AUC 0.86) in distinguishing MS from SDCNS.

Conclusions:

• 2DLMs reveal distinct patterns of local brain atrophy in MS and SDCNS.
• These measurements offer valuable insights for differentiating MS from SDCNS on brain MRI.
• The study highlights the utility of 2DLMs in characterizing neurological conditions with overlapping imaging features.