title: Long time echo stir sequence magnetic resonance imaging of optic nerves in optic neuritis.
abstract: Magnetic resonance imaging of optic nerves was obtained in 13 patients with acute optic neuritis and in 13 patients with a previous history of optic neuritis (ON), assessed by clinical, visual fields and visual evoked potentials evaluations. Results of the conventional short tau inversion recovery (STIR) sequence obtained with short time echo (STE-STIR: 22 ms) were compared with long time echo (LTE-STIR: 80 ms) sequence. The conventional STE-STIR sequence revealed lesions in 78.5% of acute ON and in 58.8% of optic nerves affected by previous ON. The LTE-STIR sequence was diagnostic in 92.8% of acutely symptomatic nerves, in 94.1% of nerves with previous ON. The calculated length of optic nerve lesions was significantly longer in imaging obtained with the LTE-STIR sequence than with the conventional STE-STIR sequences, both in acute and previous ON.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, State University of Chieti, Ospedale ex-Pediatrico, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tartaro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onofrj
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fulgente
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delli Pizzi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonomo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000175:diagnosis*