title: A quantitative evaluation of damage in normal appearing white matter in patients with multiple sclerosis using diffusion tensor MR imaging at 3 T.
abstract: The white matter (WM) of the brain is damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), even in areas that appear normal on standard MR imaging. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the damage of normal appearing white matter (NAWM) in patients with MS. In our study, 84 MS patients and 42 healthy adults underwent a routine brain MRI, including also diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). All studies were performed on a 3 T MRI scanner. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were obtained. The DTI parameters of NAWM were correlated with expanded disability status scales (EDSS) scores. Our results showed statistically significant differences in FA and ADC values between MS plaques and the symmetrical NAWM, as also between NAWM and the respective white matter in controls. The ADC values of the NAWM correlated with the EDSS scores. The present study demonstrated damage of the NAWM in MS patients, using DTI in 3.0 T. DTI may be used in the detection of subtle damage of the white matter.
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece, ggratsias7@yahoo.gr.
authors: Georgios
authors: G
authors: Gratsias
authors: Eftychia
authors: E
authors: Kapsalaki
authors: Styliani
authors: S
authors: Kogia
authors: Efthimios
authors: E
authors: Dardiotis
authors: Vaia
authors: V
authors: Tsimourtou
authors: Eleftherios
authors: E
authors: Lavdas
authors: Evanthia
authors: E
authors: Kousi
authors: Aimilia
authors: A
authors: Pelekanou
authors: Georgios M
authors: GM
authors: Hadjigeorgiou
authors: Ioannis
authors: I
authors: Fezoulidis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult