Ventricular enlargement in MS: one-year change at various stages of disease.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate ventricular enlargement (VE) over 1 year at three different stages of multiple sclerosis (MS).


METHODS
A semi-automated technique for measuring VE was applied to MRI scans in 26 patients with clinically isolated syndromes (CIS) suggestive of MS, 30 with early relapse-onset MS of 1 year duration, 41 with established relapsing remitting (RR) MS, and 23 with secondary progressive (SP) MS.


RESULTS
VE at 1 year was seen in early MS (median increase 0.3 mL [p = 0.003]), RRMS (median increase 0.5 mL [p = 0.001]), and SPMS (median increase 1.1 mL [p = 0.001]). Allowing for age there was more VE in the SPMS group (p = 0.005). No VE was observed in the CIS only group (median decrease -0.001 mL [p = 0.829]). Significant increases in T2 and T1 hypointense lesion load volume were seen in all MS subgroups: there were no differences between the groups in T2 volume increase but there was a larger increase in T1 hypointense lesion volume in the SPMS group compared with early RRMS.


CONCLUSIONS
Ventricular enlargement is a sensitive measure of progressive cerebral atrophy that is seen at all stages of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is more marked in secondary progressive than relapsing remitting MS.
Dalton
C M
CM
Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
Miszkiel
K A
KA
O'Connor
P W
PW
Plant
G T
GT
Rice
G P A
GP
Miller
D H
DH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001331:Automation; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors