| Objective:To investigate the variation of the bilateral thalamus metabolism in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuronmyelitis optica (NMO) using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS).Methods:Long TE sequence of multivoxel2H magnetic resonance spectroscopy1H-MRS) was performed to32MS patients (MS group),28NMO patients (NMO group) and35healthy volunteers (control group). The ratios of N-acetylaspartic acid (NAA), Creatine (Cr), choline (Cho) peaks were measured in MS patients, NMO patints and healthy volunteers, and the difference of1H-MRS’s metabolite markers in the bilateral thalamus in MS patients, NMO patients and volunteers were analyzed.Results:1) There was statistical difference of NAA/Cr in the bilateral thalamus between the MS group, NMO group and healthy control group (left:F=7.35, P=0.03; right:F=6.59, P=0.04).2) NAA/Cr in the bilateral thalamus of MS group was significantly lower than that of control group (left:t=-3.45, P=0.04; right:t=-2.98, P=0.04), while no statistical difference of Cho/Cr and ml/Cr was found (P>0.05).3) There was no statistical difference of NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr and ml/Cr was found between NMO group and control group (P>0.05).Conclusion:1H-MRS showed the decreases of the bilateral thalamus NAA/Cr which suggested axon damage in MS patients, but in NMO patients the same result was not found. Thus1H-MRS can reflect the pathological changes of MS and NMO, and improve the differential diagnosis of the two diseases. Objective:To quantitative assessment of brain iron deposition in the deep nucleus of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and relapsing neuromyelitis optica (RNMO) on phase images by3.0T MRI3D-enhanced T2*weighted angiography (ESWAN).Methods:Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and3D-ESWAN were performed in50RRMS patients,50RNMO patients and50age-and gender-matched normal control group. Above three groups were respectively divided into two age groups which respectively were20-39years old group and40-59years old group. All ESWAN images were post-processed, and we can get the phase images automatically. The phase images of all subjects were copied to the computer for iron concentration quantification by the SPIN software (Signal Processing In Nmr; http://www.mrc.wayne.edu/download). First, high-pass filtered phase images were read by SPIN. Second, the regions of interests (ROIs), which were ROI-centric and magnified by16times, were manually drawn on these images. Third, the ROIs of DGM were drawn based on anatomical structures, and the means and standard deviations of the signal intensity measurements of the ROIs the MPVs were obtained. For each participant, fourteen ROIs including the bilateral head of the putamen (PUT), the globus pallidus (GP), the caudate nucleus (HCN), the thalamus (THA), the substantia nigra (SN), the red nucleus (RN) and the dentate nucleus (DN) were investigated. The ROIs data were based on the different anatomical features of each region. All ROIs were obtained in three sections, including the section with the largest area and the adjacent superior and inferior areas. The bias induced by signal heterogeneity should be avoided during drawing. To ensure data accuracy, all ROI sections were measured three times with the same method, and the final MPV was taken as the average phase value of the nine sections, and compared with those among three groups which had the same age range.Results:1) In the same age group, compared to the controls and RNMO group, bilateral MPVs of GP, PUT, HCN, THA, SN, RN and DN in RRMS were lower, but only bilateral SN in the control group (left:t=-5.04,P<0.01; right:t-2.82,P=0.02) and in the RNMO group (left:t=-4.79,P<0.01; right:t=-3.27,P=0.01) in the age group of20-39were significantly lower (P<0.05).2) In the same age group, all the MPVs of deep nucleus in RNMO patients were lower than those of healthy volunteers but the significant variation of MPVs in those were not found (P>0.05).3) In RRMS, the iron concentration in bilateral HCN (left:r=-0.42, P=0.01; right:r=-0.43,P=0.01) and DN (left:r=-0.42,P=0.02; right: r=-0.36,P=0.04) were correlated with disease duration. While in RNMO there was no correlation between the iron concentration in DGM and disease duration. Whereas the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), which was contributed to measure the severity of physical disability in RRMS had not been found the correlation with the iron content in DGM (P>0.05).Conclusions:As a powerful tool for quantifying brain iron,3D-ESWAN can be helpful in evaluation of iron accumulation in RRMS and RNMO and making clear the pathological changes in these two diseases. |
PDF Full Text Request