THE VALUE OF MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING IN DIAGNOSIS AND MONITORING OF TREATMENT IN MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS

We analysed MR examinations of 277 patients with multiple sclerosis. W hite matter hyperintensities in brain were found in 270 of them. The m ost frequently they were found in periventricular white matter (in 100 % of cases), in subcortical localization (52.2%) and in the corpus cal losum (44.4%). MR examination allows to estimate the activity of the d isease on the basis of the presence of oedema around the plaques and t heir contrast enhancement with gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA). 17 .8% of all cases showed the signs of the acute phase of MS. About one- third of all cases were accompanied by cortical brain atrophy (the mos t often seen in the frontal lobes), subcortical brain atrophy was less frequent (one-sixth). In about two-third of all cases the corpus call osum atrophy was found. The analysis of follow-up MR examinations of 8 3 patients taking part in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of a new immunosuppressive drug cladribine showed that patients from the p lacebo group were more compliant to any changes of the plaques. Decrea se of the plaques size was found mainly in women. No correlation betwe en the patients age and the plaques changes was established.