Diffusion tensor imaging of thalamus in relapsing⁃remitting multiple sclerosis patients

Abstract

Objective To investigate the presence of damage to the normal⁃appearing thalamus in relapsing⁃remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and the relationship of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with the degree of disability of patients with RRMS. Methods Conventional MRI and DTI were acquired in 24 patients with relapsing ⁃remitting MS and 24 age ⁃ and sex ⁃ matched healthy volunteers. DTI parameters including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were measured in normal⁃appearing thalamus by application areas of interest method. Group differences in MD and FA were examined and correlations between DTI parameters and clinical score of patients or lesion volume were investigated. Results Patients with RRMS had lower thalamic MD [(85.34 ± 14.68) × 10⁃3 mm2/s] than volunteers [(98.42 ± 13.10) × 10⁃3 mm2/s, t = ⁃ 3.257, P = 0.002], and higher FA (0.40 ± 0.04) than volunteers (0.36 ± 0.05, t = 3.163, P = 0.003). In patients with RRMS, MD values correlated with the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) scores (r = 0.711, P = 0.000). Conclusion DTI was sensitive to detect abnormalities in normal⁃appearing thalamus of patients with RRMS. The association between thalamic DTI indexes and functional impairment suggests DTI is a promising marker of the RRMS for future studies.

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2012.02.010