Bioclinica

Author Of 1 Presentation

Imaging Poster Presentation

P0610 - Multiparametric MRI investigation of enlarging and shrinking MS lesions (ID 1876)

Speakers
Presentation Number
P0610
Presentation Topic
Imaging

Abstract

Background

Background: After cessation of contrast enhancement MS lesions may show enlargement or shrinkage on T1w MRI. The presence of hypointense lesion rims on susceptibility weighted MRI may be associated with ongoing inflammation and tissue damage/rearrangement. The relationship of enlarging and shrinking MS lesions on T1w MRI to hypointense rims on SWI is therefore of interest.

Objectives

Objective: To investigate enlarging and shrinking non-enhancing multiple sclerosis (MS) lesion characteristics using a novel multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approach.

Methods

Methods: Two high-resolution 3 D T1-weighted 3T MRI datasets obtained 12 months apart were analyzed in 67 MS patients. Non-enhancing enlarging and shrinking lesions were identified by voxel guided morphometry (VGM) demonstrating regional volume changes as compared to stable lesions without volume change. In addition the presence of hypointense lesion rims on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) was evaluated. In order to estimate tissue damage within lesions, T1 signal intensity (SI) ratios and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were analyzed.

Results

Results: Forty-three patients demonstrated chronic enlarging and/or shrinking lesions (active T1 lesions), while in 24 patients exclusively stable lesions were seen. Overall, we identified 444 chronic MS lesions (109 enlarging, 67 shrinking, 268 stable lesions). Chronic-enlarging/shrinking lesions were more frequently associated with hypointense rims compared to stable lesions (p < 0.05). Both, chronic-enlarging/shrinking lesions showed a stronger decrease of the T1 SI ratio and, conversely, an increase in ADC values at follow-up in comparison to stable lesions. Patients with enlarging or shrinking lesions had longer disease durations, higher EDSS scores, larger T2 lesion volumes and lower normalized brain volumes than patients without such lesions (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Conclusion: Enlarging and shrinking lesions on T1w MRI frequently show hypointense rims on SWI. Those lesions are linked to progressive white matter damage and may indicate sustained inflammation and may therefore indicate low grade inflammatory changes, that could be a valuable marker of disease activity.

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