title: Abnormal diffusivity of normal appearing brain tissue in multiple sclerosis: a diffusion-weighted MR imaging study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether water diffusivity in normal appearing brain tissue including white and gray matter of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients shown by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) differs from normal individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Conventional MRI and DWI were performed in 37 multiple sclerosis patients and 31 control subjects, matched for age and sex. Quantitative diffusivity values were obtained from variable locations of normal appearing white and gray matter from both hemispheres by using a standardized region of interest template. +/- 2. 9 x 10(-5) mm2/s and 85.90 x 10(-5) +/- 2.45 x 10(-5) mm2/s) than normal control subjects (NAWM: 73.46 x 10(-5) +/- 1.77 x 10(-5) mm2/s and NAGM: 82.90 x 10(-5) +/- 0.91 x 10(-5) mm2/s) with p-value < 0.0001.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Water diffusivity was higher in all NAWM regions, deep gray matter regions, and some cortical gray matter region of MS patients than normal controls. DWI can quantify the presence and extent of MRI-undetectable pathology in the normal appearing brain tissue that were the disease burden.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. warinput@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Warinthorn
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Phuttharak
authors.forename: Waneerat
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Galassi
authors.forename: Vallop
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Laopaiboon
authors.forename: Malinee
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laopaiboon
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hesselink
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology