Objective To investigate the morphology of brain regions undergoing multiple sclerosis (MS) MRI, and furthermore, to investigate possible diagnostic values of MRI for MS. Methods MRI images of 42 MS patients (34 females and 8 males, aged between 35 and 81 years old, averaging at 58) who visited the hospital during the time from December 2007 to December 2013 were collected and analyzed. Routine T1, T2 and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) scans were performed on all the 42 patients. Sagittal T1, T2 and FLAIR scans were performed when necessary. Contrast-enhanced MRI was performed on 9 of the 42 patients. The abnormal findings from MRI scans of all the 42 patients were analyzed. The analysis was further concluded to yield general characteristics of MS patients under MRI. Results A total of 286 lesions were identified in 42 patients. Ninety (31.6%) of the 286 lesions (seen in 35 patients) were found to locate around lateral ventricles; 67 (23.4%) at centrum semiovale (seen in 29 patients); 59 (20.6%) in deep white matter (seen in 28 patients); 46 (16.1%) around corpus callosum (seen in 30 patients); 21 (7.3%) in brain stem, basal ganglia and cerebellar hemispheres (seen in 9 patients); and 3 (1.0%) at cervical spinal cord. In routine MRI images, the lesions showed up as low T1 signal, high T2 signal and high FLAIR signal with the shape of ovoid or round. No mass effect was observed in lesions. In the contrast-enhanced MRI images, the 25 observed lesions showed mild enhancements with the shape of ring, semi-ring and arc. Conclusion Certain characteristic features can be observed in MS MRI images. MRI is an effective diagnostic method for multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

Citation： HULi-ping. The Characteristics and Diagnostic Values of MRI for Multiple Sclerosis. West China Medical Journal, 2015, 30(6): 1101-1104. doi: 10.7507/1002-0179.20150315 Copy