Iron deposition in the precentral grey matter in patients with multiple sclerosis: a quantitative study using susceptibility-weighted imaging.
OBJECTIVE
Several studies suggest that iron deposition may play a role in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology. Three-dimensional (3D) enhanced T2*-weighted angiography (ESWAN) at 3T was used to quantify iron deposition in the precentral grey matter in MS and its relationship with disease duration, atrophy and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores.


METHODS
We recruited 33 patients with diagnosis of clinically definite MS and 31 age- and sex-matched healthy controls who underwent conventional brain MRI, 3D-ESWAN and 3D T1sequences. We obtained the mean phase values (MPVs) of the precentral grey matter on ESWAN-filtered phase images and volume of the precentral gyrus on 3D T1 images. We investigated the correlation between precentral grey matter MPVs, precentral gyrus volume, disease duration and EDSS scores of MS patients and healthy controls.


RESULTS
The precentral grey matter MPVs in MS patients and controls were 1870.83 ± 56.61 and 1899.22 ± 51.73 respectively and had significant difference in the MS group vs. the control group (t=-2.09, P=0.04). There was significant negative correlation between precentral grey matter MPVs and disease duration (r=-0.365, P=0.03). No correlation was found between MPVs and EDSS scores. Mean precentral gyrus volume in MS patients was 4368.55 ± 867.78 whereas in controls was 5701.00 ± 1184.03 with significant difference between volume of the precentral gyrus in MS patients compared to healthy controls (t=-5.167, P<0.001). There was a positive correlation between MPVs and precentral gyrus volume (r=0.291, P=0.020).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that quantitative assessment of abnormal iron deposition in the precentral grey matter in MS patients can be measured using 3D-ESWAN.
Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No. 1 Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400016, China. minouchka_16@yahoo.com
Reshiana
R
Rumzan
Jing-jie
JJ
Wang
Chun
C
Zeng
Xuan
X
Chen
Yongmei
Y
Li
Tianyou
T
Luo
Fajin
F
Lv
Zhong-ping
ZP
Wang
Huanxin
H
Hou
Fuhong
F
Huang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D007501:Iron