Assessment of normal-appearing white and gray matter in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis: A diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging study. Rovaris M, B. M Archives of Neurology, 59(9):1406–1412, September, 2002.
Assessment of normal-appearing white and gray matter in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis: A diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging study [link]Paper  doi  abstract   bibtex   
Background  Diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging is sensitive to the more destructive aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS) evolution occurring outside and within T2-visible lesions and, as a consequence, holds promise for providing a more complete picture of primary progressive (PP) MS–related tissue damage than conventional magnetic resonance imaging.Objective  To improve our understanding of PPMS by assessing the extent of occult pathological features in the normal-appearing white and gray matter of the brain using diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging.Methods  Ninety-six patients with PPMS, 47 patients with secondary progressive (SP) MS, and 44 healthy control subjects were studied. T2-hyperintense and T1-hypointense lesion volumes were calculated, and the volume of the whole brain tissue was measured. Diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging scans were postprocessed and analyzed to obtain the mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy histograms from the brain and from the normal-appearing white and gray matter in isolation.Results  The mean T2-hyperintense and T1-hypointense lesion volumes were lower in patients with PPMS than in patients with SPMS, while the mean absolute brain volumes were similar in the 2 groups. The average lesion diffusivity was significantly higher in patients with SPMS than in patients with PPMS (P\textless.001). Histogram-derived metrics of the brain tissue and normal-appearing white and gray matter were significantly different between patients with PPMS and healthy subjects (range, P = .004 to \textless.001). Average diffusivity values were significantly higher in patients with SPMS than in patients with PPMS for all the tissues studied (range, P = .001 to \textless.001). Fractional anisotropy histogram–derived quantities did not significantly differ between the 2 patient groups (range, P = .94 to .03).Conclusion  This study confirms that, in patients with PPMS, normal-appearing white and gray matter are not spared by disease-related pathological processes, although they are affected to a lesser degree than in patients with SPMS.
@article{rovaris_m_assessment_2002,
	title = {Assessment of normal-appearing white and gray matter in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis: {A} diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging study},
	volume = {59},
	issn = {0003-9942},
	shorttitle = {Assessment of normal-appearing white and gray matter in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis},
	url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archneur.59.9.1406},
	doi = {10.1001/archneur.59.9.1406},
	abstract = {Background  
 Diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging is sensitive to the more destructive aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS) evolution occurring outside and within T2-visible lesions and, as a consequence, holds promise for providing a more complete picture of primary progressive (PP) MS–related tissue damage than conventional magnetic resonance imaging.Objective  
 To improve our understanding of PPMS by assessing the extent of occult pathological features in the normal-appearing white and gray matter of the brain using diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging.Methods  
 Ninety-six patients with PPMS, 47 patients with secondary progressive (SP) MS, and 44 healthy control subjects were studied. T2-hyperintense and T1-hypointense lesion volumes were calculated, and the volume of the whole brain tissue was measured. Diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging scans were postprocessed and analyzed to obtain the mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy histograms from the brain and from the normal-appearing white and gray matter in isolation.Results  
 The mean T2-hyperintense and T1-hypointense lesion volumes were lower in patients with PPMS than in patients with SPMS, while the mean absolute brain volumes were similar in the 2 groups. The average lesion diffusivity was significantly higher in patients with SPMS than in patients with PPMS (P{\textless}.001). Histogram-derived metrics of the brain tissue and normal-appearing white and gray matter were significantly different between patients with PPMS and healthy subjects (range, P = .004 to {\textless}.001). Average diffusivity values were significantly higher in patients with SPMS than in patients with PPMS for all the tissues studied (range, P = .001 to {\textless}.001). Fractional anisotropy histogram–derived quantities did not significantly differ between the 2 patient groups (range, P = .94 to .03).Conclusion  
 This study confirms that, in patients with PPMS, normal-appearing white and gray matter are not spared by disease-related pathological processes, although they are affected to a lesser degree than in patients with SPMS.},
	number = {9},
	urldate = {2013-03-13},
	journal = {Archives of Neurology},
	author = {Rovaris M, Bozzali M},
	month = sep,
	year = {2002},
	pages = {1406--1412},
}

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