TY - JOUR
T1 - Relationship between brain MRI lesion load and short-term disease evolution in non-disabling MS
T2 - A large-scale, multicentre study
AU - Rovaris, Marco
AU - Rocca, Maria A.
AU - Barkhof, Frederik
AU - Calabrese, Massimiliano
AU - De Stefano, Nicola
AU - Khalil, Michael
AU - Fazekas, Franz
AU - Fisniku, Leonora
AU - Gallo, Paolo
AU - Miller, David H.
AU - Montalban, Xavier
AU - Polman, Chris
AU - Rovira, Alex
AU - Sombekke, Madeleine H.
AU - Sormani, Maria Pia
AU - Stromillo, Maria Laura
AU - Filippi, Massimo
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Background and Objectives: We evaluated clinical and conventional MRI features of a large population of patients with non-disabling MS to identify potential markers of a benign disease course. Methods: In seven MAGNIMS centres we retrospectively identified 182 patients with benign (B) MS (EDSS score ≥3.0, disease duration ≥15 years) and 187 patients with non-disabling relapsing-remitting MS (NDRRMS) (Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≥3.0, disease duration between 5 and 14 years), in whom clinical data were collected within two weeks from a brain T2-weighted scan. Brain T2 lesion volume (LV) was measured in all patients. In 146 BMS and 146 NDRRMS patients, clinical data were also available after a median follow up of 29 months (range: 7-104 months). Results: Mean LV was higher in BMS than in NDRRMS patients (p <0.001), but the mean ratio between LV and disease duration was higher in NDRRMS than in BMS patients (1.1 vs. 0.6 ml/year, p <0.001). In BMS patients, brain LV was correlated with EDSS score increase at follow up (r = 0.18, p = 0.03). Conclusions: An overall low rate of brain LV increase during a long-lasting disease course might be a feature of BMS. In BMS patients, a high brain LV might be associated with worsening of locomotor disability at short-term follow up.
AB - Background and Objectives: We evaluated clinical and conventional MRI features of a large population of patients with non-disabling MS to identify potential markers of a benign disease course. Methods: In seven MAGNIMS centres we retrospectively identified 182 patients with benign (B) MS (EDSS score ≥3.0, disease duration ≥15 years) and 187 patients with non-disabling relapsing-remitting MS (NDRRMS) (Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≥3.0, disease duration between 5 and 14 years), in whom clinical data were collected within two weeks from a brain T2-weighted scan. Brain T2 lesion volume (LV) was measured in all patients. In 146 BMS and 146 NDRRMS patients, clinical data were also available after a median follow up of 29 months (range: 7-104 months). Results: Mean LV was higher in BMS than in NDRRMS patients (p <0.001), but the mean ratio between LV and disease duration was higher in NDRRMS than in BMS patients (1.1 vs. 0.6 ml/year, p <0.001). In BMS patients, brain LV was correlated with EDSS score increase at follow up (r = 0.18, p = 0.03). Conclusions: An overall low rate of brain LV increase during a long-lasting disease course might be a feature of BMS. In BMS patients, a high brain LV might be associated with worsening of locomotor disability at short-term follow up.
KW - benign
KW - disability
KW - MRI
KW - multicentre
KW - multiple sclerosis
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U2 - 10.1177/1352458510388824
DO - 10.1177/1352458510388824
M3 - Article
C2 - 21159719
AN - SCOPUS:79953229600
VL - 17
SP - 319
EP - 326
JO - Multiple Sclerosis
JF - Multiple Sclerosis
SN - 1352-4585
IS - 3
ER -