title: Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity<br />in HIV Infection:Evaluation by Contrast-Enhanced<br />Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
abstract: This study assesses the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive individuals to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent Gd-DTPA. Twelve HIV seropositive patients and six control subjects had T2-weighted and serial pre- and post-contrast TI-weighted MRI. Ten of the twelve seropositive patients demonstrated white matter hyperintensity with or without atrophy on T2-weighted MRI and 8/10 who underwent neurological examination demonstrated neurological abnormalities. No statistically significant differences of trends in white matter pixel values were observed between pre- and post-contrast scans in any of the patients or controls. Serial T1-weighted MRI does not demonstrate any change in the integrity of the BBB to Gd-DTPA in HIV seropositive patients, regardless of the presence or absence of white matter hyperintensity with or without atrophy on T2-weighted MRI or clinical signs of HIV-I associated with cognitive/motor complex.
authors.affiliation: , Mortimer Street, London, W1N 8AA, England.
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paley
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Chinn
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hall-Craggs
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
mesh_terms: D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D015658:HIV Infections; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA