Analysis of Factors Effecting Cerebral Atrophy in Patients with Long Term Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Scientific Background: It is known that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) causes varying degrees of cerebral atrophy at its late stages. Any relationship between cerebral atrophy, other neuroradiological findings and prognosis of the disease is still being investigated.Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess computed tomography (CT) measurements of standardized localizations of the brain in patients with long-term relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) and to examine the relation between atrophy of the brain and neurological findings, expanded disability status scale (EDSS) levels, duration of the disease, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Material and Methods: CT was performed to measure brain atrophy in particular localizations of the brain on 35 patients with RR-MS and 25 healthy volunteers who were taken into a control group. Rhe groupsof patients with MS were categorized according to some features such as duration of disease, EDSS level, and neurological findings. Results: The MRI findings of this group were reviewed and categorized retrospectively according to localization, number of the lesions, and pattern of enhancement of the lesions, thickness of genu, spleniumand body of corpus collosum. The correlation between atrophy and all other MRI and clinical findings were assessed. Statistically, the differences between er measurementsof both groups such as the width of lateral ventricles, the diameter of lentiform nucleus and the area of the brain stem were remarkable. However, there were no correlation among the age, gender, duration of the disease, the atrophic changes, EDSS, and MRI findings. Conclusion: All the findings of the present study confirmed that the patients with MS had decrease of the brain volume and enlargement of the lateral ventricles. However, the direct correlation between MRI and clinical findings and atrophy was not found. This finding indicated that the other factors' effects on brain atrophy of patients with MS should be searched in addition to known findings.