ELECTRONIC POSTER - ismrm

Thursday 13:30-15:30 Computer 77
13:30 4338. In Vivo Quantitative Evaluation of Brain Tissue Damage in Multiple Sclerosis Using
Gradient Echo Plural Contrast Imaging Technique
Pascal Sati 1,2 , Anne H. Cross 3 , Charles Hildebolt 1 , Dmitriy A. Yablonskiy 4
1 Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Department of Radiology , Washington University School of Medicine, St
Louis, MO, United States; 2 Translational Neuroradiology Unit, Neuroimmunology Branch, NINDS, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States; 3 Department of Neurology, Washington University School of
Medicine, St Louis, MO, United States; 4 Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Department of Radiology,
Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, United States
Conventional MRI based on spin-echo sequences aids in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. However, MRI markers derived from
these SE sequences provide limited information about tissue damage and correlate poorly with patient disability assessed with clinical
tests. In this study, we introduce for the first time a new scoring method for MS evaluation using R2* histograms acquired by means
of Gradient Echo Plural Contrast Imaging technique. This method is sensitive not only to lesion load, but also to the degree of tissue
damage within the MS lesions thus holding promise for improving the evaluation of MS pathology.
14:00 4339. Quantifying the Permeability of Blood-Brain Barrier in MS Patients Under
Conventional Treatment
saeid Taheri 1 , Gary A. Rosenberg 1 , Corey Ford 1
1 Neurology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
We investigated the permeability of Blood-Brain Barrier by employing contrast-enhanced MRI, a reduced dose of Gd-DTPA and a
fast T1 mapping technique. A series of T1 images before and after the injection of contrast agent were acquired. By using Patlak
modeling technique and a reference for concentration of Gd-DTPA in plasma we were able to build a permeability map corresponding
to the permeability of BBB underlying each pixel. We have recruited ten MS patients under the conventional treatment along with 17
controls and compared results. We were able to distinguish between high and low grade activities of BBB in MS.
14:30 4340. Use of Magnetic Resonance Venography for Characterization of Extracranial
Venous System in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and in Normal Controls
Robert Zivadinov 1 , Alexandra S. Lopez 1 , Bianca Weinstock-Guttman 2 , Claudiu Schirda 1 ,
Christopher Magnano 1 , Cheryl Kennedy 1 , Christina Brooks 1 , Justine Reuther 3 , Kristin
Hunt 1 , Michelle Andrews 1 , David Hojnacki 1
1 University at Buffalo, Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Buffalo, NY, United States; 2 University at
Buffalo, The Jacobs Neurological Institute, Buffalo, NY, United States; 3 University at Buffalo, Buffalo
Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Buffalo\, NY, United States
Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a vascular condition characterized by anomalies of the primary veins outside
the skull that restrict the normal outflow of blood from the brain in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Extracranial venous flow
morphology in 57 MS patients and in 21 age- and sex-matched normal controls (NC), was investigated by using magnetic resonance
venography (MRV) on a GE 3T scanner. 4D Time Resolved Imaging of Contrast KineticS (TRICKS) and enhanced and unenhanced
3D Time of Flight (TOF) MRI sequences were performed. No extracranial venous flow morphology MRV differences were detected
between MS patients and NC.
15:00 4341. Hypoperfusion of Brain Parenchyma Is Strongly Associated with the Severity of
Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Paolo Zamboni 1 , Erica Menegatti 1 , Bianca Weinstock-Guttman 2 , Michael G. Dwyer 3 ,
Claudiu V. Schirda 3 , Anna M. Malagoni 1 , David Hojnacki 2 , Cheryl Kennedy 3 , Ellen
Carl 3 , Niels Bergsland 3 , Christopher Magnano 3 , Ilaria Bartolomei 1 , Fabrizio Salvi 1 ,
Robert Zivadinov 4
1 University of Ferrera- Bellaria Neurosciences, Vascular Diseases Center, Ferrera, Italy; 2 University at Buffalo,
The Jacobs Neurological Institute, Buffalo, NY, United States; 3 University at Buffalo, Buffalo Neuroimaging
Analysis Center, Buffalo, NY, United States; 4 University at Buffalo, Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center\,
Buffalo, NY, United States
Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a vascular condition described in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients,
characterized by stenoses of the main extracranial veins with hampered cerebral venous outflow. We hypothesized that the impaired
venous outflow contributes to hypoperfusion of brain parenchyma, as measured by perfusion-weighted imaging. CCSVI was
established based on the venous hemodynamic (VH) Doppler criteria. There was a significant strong association between VH criteria
and PWI indices in all examined regions of the brain parenchyma in MS patients. This study demonstrates that severity of CCSVI is
directly associated with hypoperfusion of the brain parenchyma in MS.