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Lower fractional anisotropy at the anterior body of the normal-appearing corpus callosum in multiple sclerosis versus symptomatic carotid occlusion

  • Diagnostic Neuroradiology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Introduction

Not uncommonly, differentiating multiple sclerosis (MS) from ischemic cerebral vascular disease is difficult based on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We aim to determine whether preferential occult injury in the normal-appearing corpus callosum (NACC) is more severe in patients with MS than symptomatic carotid occlusion by comparing fractional anisotropy (FA) from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Methods

Eighteen patients (eight men, ten women; mean age, 38.6 years) with MS and 32 patients (24 men, eight women; mean age, 64.0 years) with symptomatic unilateral internal carotid occlusion were included. DTI (1.5 T) were performed at corpus callosum which were normal-appearing on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRI. Mean FA was obtained from the genu, anterior body, posterior body, and splenium of NACC. Independent-sample t test statistical analysis was performed.

Results

The FA values in various regions of NACC were lower in the MS patients than symptomatic carotid occlusion patients, which was statistically different at the anterior body (0.67 ± 0.12 vs 0.74 ± 0.06, P = 0.009), but not at genu, posterior body, and splenium (0.63 ± 0.09 vs 0.67 ± 0.07, P = 0.13; 0.68 ± 0.09 vs 0.73 ± 0.05, P = 0.07; 0.72 ± 0.09 vs 0.76 ± 0.05, P = 0.13).

Conclusion

MS patients have lower FA in the anterior body of NACC compared to patients with symptomatic carotid occlusion. It suggests that DTI has potential ability to differentiate these two conditions due to the more severe preferential occult injury at the anterior body of NACC in MS.

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Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, The PLA General Hospital, No. 28 Fuxing road, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Xin Lou, Lin Ma & Youquan Cai

  2. Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, The Capital University of Medical Sciences, No. six Tiantan Xili, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Weijian Jiang & Ning Ma

  3. Department of Neurology, The PLA General Hospital, No. 28 Fuxing road, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Dehui Huang

  4. Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Edward Hochung Wong

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  1. Xin Lou
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Correspondence to Weijian Jiang.

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Lou, X., Jiang, W., Ma, L. et al. Lower fractional anisotropy at the anterior body of the normal-appearing corpus callosum in multiple sclerosis versus symptomatic carotid occlusion. Neuroradiology 51, 557–561 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-009-0535-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-009-0535-6

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