[Volumetric MRI for evaluation of regional pattern and progressin of neocortical degeneration in Alzheimer's disease].
OBJECTIVE
Volumetric analysis of the corpus callosum and hippocampus using MRI in Alzheimer's disease (AD) to evaluate the regional pattern and progression of neocortical neurodegeneration.


METHODS
In subsequent studies we investigated patients with AD and healthy controls. Volumetry was based on MRI-data from a sagittal 3D T1w-gradient echo sequence. The corpus callosum (CC) was measured in a midsagittal slice, and subdivided into 5 subregions. Volumetry of the hippocampus/amygdala-formation (HAF) was performed by segmentation in coronary reoriented slices.


RESULTS
In AD patients we found a significant atrophy in the rostrum und splenium of CC. The atrophy was correlated with the severity of dementia, but no correlation was found with the load of white matter lesions. In comparison with (18)FDG-PET, we found a significant correlation of regional CC-atrophy with the regional decline of cortical glucose metabolism. A ROC-analysis demonstrated no significant differences in the diagnostic accuracy of HAF volumetry and regional CC volumetry of the splenium (region C5) even in mild stages of dementia.


CONCLUSIONS
Regional atrophy of CC can be used as a marker of neocortical degeneration even in early stages of dementia in AD.
Leinsinger
G
G
Institut für Klinische Radiologie, Klinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich. gerda.leinsinger@ikra.med.uni-muenchen.de
Teipel
S
S
Wismüller
A
A
Born
C
C
Meindl
T
T
Flatz
W
W
Schönberg
S
S
Pruessner
J
J
Hampel
H
H
Reiser
M
M
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology; D001284:Atrophy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D019579:Neocortex / Q000473:pathology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
MR-Volumetrie zur Darstellung von Verteilung und zeitlicher Abfolge neokortikaler Degeneration bei Morbus Alzheimer.