Agosta Federica, Pagani Elisabetta, Caputo Domenico, Filippi Massimo
Neuroimaging Research Unit, Scientific Institute and University Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
Arch Neurol. 2007 Sep;64(9):1302-5. doi: 10.1001/archneur.64.9.1302.
To assess in vivo the volume and the magnetization transfer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detectable damage of the cervical cord gray matter in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and to evaluate whether such damage correlates with disability.
Cervical cord conventional and magnetization transfer MRI scans were acquired from 18 patients with RRMS (and no T2-visible cervical cord lesions) and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. After ad hoc image postprocessing, characterized by high intraobserver reproducibility, the average magnetization transfer ratio and volume of the cervical cord gray matter from patients and controls were calculated and compared using a 2-tailed t test with Bonferroni correction. The correlation between MRI metrics and Expanded Disability Status Scale score was assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient.
Compared with healthy controls, patients with RRMS had a lower cervical cord gray matter average magnetization transfer ratio (P = .009). No cervical cord gray matter atrophy was detected. In patients with RRMS, the gray matter average magnetization transfer ratio was correlated with the degree of disability (r = -0.48, P = .048).
Cervical cord gray matter is not spared by MS pathology, and such damage is an additional factor contributing to the disability of these patients.
在体内评估复发缓解型多发性硬化症（RRMS）患者颈髓灰质的体积以及磁共振成像（MRI）可检测到的损伤，并评估这种损伤是否与残疾相关。
对18例RRMS患者（且无T2可见颈髓病变）和13名年龄及性别匹配的健康对照者进行颈髓常规及磁化传递MRI扫描。在具有高观察者内重复性的特定图像后处理之后，计算患者和对照者颈髓灰质的平均磁化传递率和体积，并使用经Bonferroni校正的双侧t检验进行比较。使用Spearman等级相关系数评估MRI指标与扩展残疾状态量表评分之间的相关性。
与健康对照者相比，RRMS患者的颈髓灰质平均磁化传递率较低（P = 0.009）。未检测到颈髓灰质萎缩。在RRMS患者中，灰质平均磁化传递率与残疾程度相关（r = -0.48，P = 0.048）。
MS病理改变并未使颈髓灰质幸免，且这种损伤是导致这些患者残疾的一个额外因素。
