Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Doctoral School, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Neurol Neurochir Pol. 2024;58(3):233-244. doi: 10.5603/pjnns.98706. Epub 2024 May 9.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system (CNS) disease associated with inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration. It affects more than 2 million people globally, and usually occurs in young adults, three-quarters of whom are women. Importantly, accurate diagnosis and treatment are essential, as this disease can lead to the rapid development of disability. The choroid plexus (CP) is a structure widely known as the main cerebrospinal fluid source. However, it is also involved in immune cell trafficking to the cerebrospinal fluid, which is increased in different neurological disorders, particularly those associated with neuroinflammation. As MS is generally thought to be caused by an autoimmune process, it has been suggested that the choroid plexus may play a significant role in its pathogenesis, manifesting via changes in imaging characteristics.
Although research regarding this topic has been very limited, the results of the available studies appear promising. To further investigate this subject, we performed a systematic literature review according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The PubMed and Embase databases were searched for relevant articles, and after thorough analysis, 16 studies were included in our review.
CP volume was significantly increased in MS patients compared to healthy individuals. Furthermore, some studies found that CP enlargement occurs even before a definite diagnosis. Moreover, a few articles reported correlations between CP volume and brain atrophy, or even disease severity.
Our findings show that CP imaging has the potential to become a novel and valuable tool in multiple sclerosis management.
多发性硬化症（MS）是一种中枢神经系统（CNS）疾病，与炎症、脱髓鞘和神经退行性变有关。它影响着全球超过 200 万人，通常发生在年轻人中，其中四分之三为女性。重要的是，准确的诊断和治疗至关重要，因为这种疾病会导致残疾的迅速发展。脉络丛（CP）是一种被广泛认为是主要脑脊液来源的结构。然而，它也参与免疫细胞向脑脊液的迁移，这在不同的神经疾病中增加，特别是那些与神经炎症有关的疾病。由于多发性硬化症通常被认为是由自身免疫过程引起的，因此有人认为脉络丛可能在其发病机制中发挥重要作用，表现为影像学特征的变化。
尽管关于这个主题的研究非常有限，但现有研究的结果似乎很有希望。为了进一步研究这个课题，我们根据 PRISMA 2020 指南进行了系统的文献回顾。在 PubMed 和 Embase 数据库中搜索了相关文章，并经过仔细分析，有 16 项研究被纳入我们的综述。
与健康个体相比，MS 患者的 CP 体积明显增加。此外，一些研究发现 CP 增大甚至发生在明确诊断之前。此外，有几篇文章报道了 CP 体积与脑萎缩甚至疾病严重程度之间的相关性。
我们的研究结果表明，CP 成像有可能成为多发性硬化症管理的一种新的有价值的工具。
