Journal of the neurological sciences
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
MRI-FLAIR images of the head show corticospinal tract alterations in ALS patients more frequently than T2-, T1- and proton-density-weighted images.
In some patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), T2-weighted and proton-density-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows hyperintense or hypointense signals at the corticospinal tract. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences increase the sensitivity of MRI to detect cortical and subcortical tissue changes. In 31 ALS patients and 33 controls, we studied the frequency and the extent of signal abnormalities in FLAIR images compared to T2-, T1- and proton-density-weighted images. ⋯ Similar to previous results, MR image alterations did correlate poorly to clinical data of upper motor neuron affliction. MR images of the head, including FLAIR images, provide additional information regarding corticospinal tract involvement in ALS patients. Because of an overlap with physiological findings, they have to be interpreted cautiously, with the exception of hyperintense signals at the subcortical precentral gyrus.