MR-IMAGING IN ADULTS WITH GAUCHER DISEASE TYPE-I - EVALUATION OF MARROW INVOLVEMENT AND DISEASE-ACTIVITY

An investigation was conducted to determine the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of bone marrow involvement in patients with Gaucher disease type I. T1- and T2-weighted images we re obtained of the lower extremities of 29 adult patients. Patients we re classified into one of three groups based on marrow signal patterns on T1- and T2-weighted images as well as change in signal intensity f rom T1- to T2-weighted images. An increase in signal intensity from T1 - to T2-weighted images was the criterion for an ''active process'' wi thin the bone marrow. Classification of the 29 patients produced the f ollowing results: group A: normal, 4 patients; group B: marrow infiltr ation, 16 patients; group C: marrow infiltration plus active marrow pr ocess, 9 patients. Correlation with clinical findings revealed that al l nine patients with evidence of an active marrow process on MRI (grou p C) had acute bone pain. Conversely, only one of the remaining 20 pat ients (groups A and B) had bone pain. There was no correlation between disease activity and findings on conventional radiographs. We conclud e the MRI provides an excellent noninvasive assessment of the extent a nd activity of marrow involvement in type I Gaucher disease.