J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2001
Dec;71(6):752-6
Siger-Zajdel M, Selmaj K.
Department of Neurology, Medical
Academy of Lodz, Poland.
OBJECTIVES:
To assess differences in magnetisation
transfer ratio (MTR) analysis of normal appearing white matter (NAWM) in
patients with familial multiple sclerosis (MS) and those with sporadic
MS.
METHODS:
10 patients with familial MS, 10
patients with sporadic MS, and 10 healthy subjects were included in the
study. Groups were matched according to the sex, age, disease duration,
type of disease, EDSS, and MRI T1 and T2 lesion load. Magnetisation transfer
imaging (MTI) with and without saturation pulse were performed. On the
MTR map 16 different regions of interest of normal appearing white matter
were analyzed.
RESULTS:
The mean MTR value of normal appearing
white matter was significantly lower both in familial patients and those
with sporadic MS compared with healthy subjects (33.8% v 46.4%; 38.6% v
46.4% respectively, p< 0.05). Additionally, patients with familial MS
showed significantly lower mean MTR value than patients with sporadic MS
(33.8% v 38.6%, p<0.05). There was also significant regional varation
of MTR values between these two groups of patients.
CONCLUSIONS:
Lower and more widespread MTR abnormalities
in patients with familial MS might indicate differences in the extent and
nature of white matter pathology between familial and sporadic MS.
PMID: 11723195 [PubMed - in process]