Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2000
Relative contributions of brain and cervical cord pathology to multiple sclerosis disability: a study with magnetisation transfer ratio histogram analysis.
To assess (a) the correlations between magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) histogram derived measures of the brain and the cervical cord from patients with different multiple sclerosis phenotypes and (b) the correlation between these metrics and clinical disability. Magnetisation transfer imaging is sensitive to the most destructive aspects of multiple sclerosis pathology. Magnetisation transfer ratio histogram analysis encompasses the macroscopic and the microscopic lesion burdens. ⋯ This study shows that the extent and severity of tissue damage in the brain and cervical cord are both relevant to determine disability in multiple sclerosis and that the assessment of brain and cord pathology provides complementary information.