title: Usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging as a prognostic variable in myelodysplastic syndromes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Myelodysplastic syndromes are clonal disorders of stem cells, characterized by heterogeneous clinical presentation. Hematopoiesis is ineffective, characterized by abnormal differentiation, maturation and survival of hematopoietic cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  The examinations were conducted in the Hematology Ward and the Internal Medicine Ward of the Specialist Hospital No. 1 in Bytom in the years 2006-2011. The study group included 53 patients with diagnosed myelodysplastic syndrome. The results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine were obtained from the medical documentation of patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the group of patients diagnosed with RT (refractory thrombocytopenia) and in the group diagnosed with RA (refractory anemia), 100% of lumbar spine images in T1- and T2- weighted sequences assessed together showed increased signal intensity. In patients diagnosed with RAEB (refractory anemia with excess blasts), MRI showed decreased signal intensity in 76.5% of subjects in the sequences analyzed together. In the group of patients with increased LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), 22 patients (55%) showed decreased signal intensity in the combined analysis of T1- and T2-weighted sequences. Among transfusion-dependent patients, 20 scans (60.6%) showed decreased signal intensity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As the risk category of MDS increases towards high - bad risk, decreased signal intensity is observed in lumbar spine MRI in T1- and T2-weighted images in all studied stratification scales. There is a positive correlation between decreased signal intensity in lumbar spine MRI examinations and increased LDH level in blood serum, as well as dependence on blood product transfusions, especially packed red blood cells.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Department of Internal Diseases, Silesian Medical University, Bytom, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ziółko
authors.affiliation: Clinical Department of Internal Diseases, Silesian Medical University, Bytom, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kwiatkowska-Pamuła
authors.affiliation: Magnetic Resonance Unit, Medical Diagnostic Centre Voxel, Bytom, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Adamczyk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, M. Mossakowski Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walecki
authors.affiliation: Clinical Department of Internal Diseases, Silesian Medical University, Bytom, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muc-Wierzgoń
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011379:Prognosis