Evaluating Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Properties Together with Brain Volumetry May Predict Progression to Multiple Sclerosis.

Rationale And Objectives: Although the gold standard in predicting future progression from clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) consists in the McDonald criteria, efforts are being made to employ various advanced MRI techniques for predicting clinical progression. This study's main aim was to evaluate the predictive power of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the brain and brain volumetry to distinguish between patients having CIS with future progression to CDMS from those without progression during the following 2 years and to compare those parameters with conventional MRI evaluation.

Materials And Methods: All participants underwent an MRI scan of the brain.

MR Diffusion Properties of Cervical Spinal Cord as a Predictor of Progression to Multiple Sclerosis in Patients with Clinically Isolated Syndrome.

Background And Purpose: This study's aim was to investigate diffusion properties of the cervical spinal cord in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) through analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data and thereby to assess the capacity of this technique for predicting the progression of CIS to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS).

Methods: The study groups were comprised of 47 patients with CIS (15 of them with progression to CDMS within 2 years of follow-up) and 57 asymptomatic controls. All patients and controls had undergone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine including DTI and brain MRI.

Neurological manifestation of immune system dysregulation resulting from CTLA-4 receptor mutation: a case report.

This contribution reports the case of a young female patient with a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) heterozygous missense mutation giving rise to a broad range of autoimmune diseases, including central nervous system inflammation presenting as disseminated intramedullary and infiltrating brain lesions on MRI. Multiple sclerosis was one of the diagnoses considered. CTLA-4 is a negative immune regulator essential for the function of regulatory T-cells, themselves responsible for maintaining self-tolerance and immune homeostasis.

Conversion of clinically isolated syndrome to multiple sclerosis: a prospective study.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) begins with an acute clinical attack (clinically isolated syndrome) in approximately 85% of patients. The conversion rate from clinically isolated syndrome to multiple sclerosis has been documented at 30% to 82% in previous studies. When an individual presents for evaluation after a single episode of inflammation of the CNS, several decisions regarding follow-up in subsequent years need to be made, including that of whether or not to start a therapy.

Structural and functional MRI correlates of T2 hyperintensities of brain white matter in young neurologically asymptomatic adults.

Objectives: Although white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are quite commonly found incidentally, their aetiology, structural characteristics, and functional consequences are not entirely known. The purpose of this study was to quantify WMHs in a sample of young, neurologically asymptomatic adults and evaluate the structural and functional correlations of lesion load with changes in brain volume, diffusivity, and functional connectivity.

Methods: MRI brain scan using multimodal protocol was performed in 60 neurologically asymptomatic volunteers (21 men, 39 women, mean age 34.

Analysis of diffusion tensor measurements of the human cervical spinal cord based on semiautomatic segmentation of the white and gray matter.

Background: Segmentation of the gray and white matter (GM, WM) of the human spinal cord in MRI images as well as the analysis of spinal cord diffusivity are challenging. When appropriately segmented, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the spinal cord might be beneficial in the diagnosis and prognosis of several diseases.

Purpose: To evaluate the applicability of a semiautomatic algorithm provided by ITK-SNAP in classification mode (CLASS) for segmenting cervical spinal cord GM, WM in MRI images and analyzing DTI parameters.

[A rare case of multiple myeloma: multiple solitary plasmacytomas of distal extremities].

This article describes a case of 68-years-old male with very atypic variation of multiple myeloma occuring as multifocal osteolysis limited to tibiae, cuboid bone, radius and ulna, in the absence of diffuse bone marrow infiltration. The main goal of this article is to point out the importance of permanent awareness during diagnostics and treatment of this insidious disease.