The effect of corticosteroid medication on quantitative MR parameters of the brain.
OBJECTIVE
Quantitative MR imaging techniques such as magnetization transfer imaging (MTI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and MR spectroscopy are promising diagnostic tools for use with patients with diffuse brain diseases such as neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE). Such patients are often on corticosteroid (CS) treatment. Presently, it is unknown whether CSs per se influence quantitative MR imaging measurements. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-dose oral CSs on MTI, DWI, and MR spectroscopy parameters of the brain.


METHODS
Twenty-seven rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with and without CS medication and 15 healthy controls were subjected to conventional MR imaging, whole-brain MTI and DWI, and single-voxel MR spectroscopy. Oral CSs were used by 13 of the RA patients. Univariate analyses with age as a covariate were performed on MTI, DWI, and MR spectroscopy parameters between RA patients with and without CSs and healthy controls. Pearson correlations were calculated between all imaging parameters and duration of disease, duration of CS use, and CS dosage.


RESULTS
No significant differences between the groups of subjects or significant correlations with clinical parameters were found for MTI, DWI and MR spectroscopy parameters.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we found no evidence for an effect of low-dose oral CSs on whole-brain MTI and DWI histogram parameters and single-voxel MR spectroscopy measurements of the brain. The results of this study demonstrate that it is unlikely that MTI, DWI, and MR spectroscopy parameters reported in NPSLE studies are confounded by low-dose oral CS.
Steens
Stefan C A
SC
Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
Steup-Beekman
Gerda M
GM
Bosma
Gerlof P Th
GP
Admiraal-Behloul
Faiza
F
Olofsen
Hans
H
Doornbos
Joost
J
Huizinga
Tom W J
TW
van Buchem
Mark A
MA
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones