Significance of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging for evaluation of upper motor neuron disease in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- VernacularTitle:磁共振扩散张量成像定量评估肌萎缩侧索硬化症患者上运动神经元病变的意义
- Author:
Tao LIU
;
Feng CHEN
;
Xiaoping LIAO
;
Jinchuan XU
;
Jianjun LI
;
Jingmei Lü
;
Wanchong GAN
;
Zuneng LU
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research
2007;11(44):9006-9010
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (MRDTI) may non-wounded detect damage of fiber in white matter and becomes an effectively way to evaluate upper motor neuron(UMN) impairments.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of MRDTI on amyotrophic lateral selerosis(ALS).DESIGN: Case contrast observation.SETTING: Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University.PARTICIPANTS: Twenty ALS patients were selected from Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from April to December 2005. There were 11 males and 9 females, and their ages ranged from 33 to 73 years with the mean age of (51±10) years. All subjects met the diagnostic criteria of ALS set by World Neurology League.Other 15 healthy subjects were collected as control group. There were 8 males and 7 females, and their ages ranged from 31 to 73 years with mean age of (50±11) years. All subjects provided the confirm consent.METHODS: Based on level of upper and lower motor neuron impairments, ALS patients were divided into UMN impairment group (n =16) and lower motor neuron group (n =4). Functional scores of ALS, illness developing velocity and pyramidal sign scores were performed, respectively. All subjects were scanned with DTI at axial view. Regions of interest [subcortical white matter of precentral gyrul and postcentral gyrul (Pre-CG/Post-CG), centrum semiovale and frontal white matter (CS/FWM), peripheral lateral cerebral ventricle, posterior limb of internal capsule (PIC), cerebral peduncle (CP), genu corpus callosum and splenium corpus callosum (GCC/SCC) and dorsal thalamus (DT)] were selected to measure fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC).MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Correlations among FA, ADC, functional score of ALS, illness developing velocity and pyramidal sign scores.RESULTS: Twenty patients and 15 subjects in the control group were involved in the final analysis. ① FA was reduced and ADC increased in the posterior limb of the internal capsule in patients with UMN signs compared to healthy volunteers (t =3.452, 2.670; P ＜ 0.01, 0.05). Nonparametric tests revealed that there was a trend toward reduced FA in the posterior limb of the internal capsule in B group compared to controls (U =11, P =0.057). ② In UMN impairment group, FA in the posterior limb of the internal capsule was positively correlated with the ALS rating scale (r =0.577, P ＜0.05) and negatively correlated with pyramidalsign scores (r = -0.789, P ＜ 0.01 ),CONCLUSION : The impairment of pyramidal tracts can be noninvasively evaluated by diffusion tensor MR in vivo, thus providing useful information in diagnosing and further understanding MND.
