Examination of the relationship between average plaque volume and clinical and demographic characteristics in multiple sclerosis patients using a stereological method.

Aim: The objectives of this study were to investigate the lesion load on brain magnetic resonance images and the volume of different cerebral anatomical structures, in patients with a diagnosis of definite multiple sclerosis, using a stereological method.

Methods: Fifty patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis were included in the study. The volume fractions of the hemispheres, lateral ventricles, cerebellum, brain stem, and plaque volumes within the total brain volume were estimated.

Results: The mean plaque volume was 0.83 ± 0.14 cm(3) in the cerebellum and 1.14 ± 0.2 cm(3) in the brain stem. There was a significant relationship between left hemisphere volume to whole hemisphere ratio and ventricular volume (p = .034, r = 0.1) in patients with cerebellar lesions compared with patients without cerebellar lesions. Similarly, there was a significant correlation between left hemisphere volume ratio and ventricular volume ratio in all patients (r = -0.286, p = .044).

Conclusion: These results show that there is significantly greater atrophy in the left hemisphere. In addition, the presence of cerebellar lesions can trigger or accelerate the development of left hemisphere atrophy. Thus, this finding may be an indicator of poor prognosis.