Magnetization transfer ratios in multiple sclerosis lesions enhancing after different doses of gadolinium

We performed serial monthly magnetization transfer (MT) imaging to evaluate whether MS lesions that enhance only after the injection of a triple dose (TD) of gadolinium-DTPA (Gd) have different pathologic characteristics and evolution than those that enhance after the injection of a standard dose (SD). Every 4 weeks for 3 months and in two separate sessions, we obtained T1-weighted scans from 10 patients with relapsing-remitting MS, 5 minutes after SD (0.1 mmol/kg) or TD (0.3 mmol/kg) Gd injection. During each of the first monthly sessions, we obtained MT images and dual-echo scans before Gd injection. We measured the MT ratio (MTR) of newly enhancing lesions on co-registered quantitative MTR images. During the 3-month follow-up, 81 newly enhancing lesions were seen on SD scans. An additional 46 lesions enhanced only on TD scans. The mean (+/- standard deviation) MTR values were 31.4% +/- 8.4% for lesions enhancing after SD and 38.2% +/- 6.0% for lesions enhancing only after TD injection (p < 0.0001). The mean MTR values of lesions seen with both SD (p < 0.00001) and TD (p = 0.002) increased significantly during the follow-up. At each time point during the follow-up, the MTR values of TD lesions were significantly higher than the SD lesions. These results indicate that the enhancing lesion population in MS is heterogeneous and that the tissue damage occurring within lesions enhancing only after TD injection is less severe than in lesions enhancing after the injection of an SD.