Wilson Hastalığında Difüzyon Ağırlıklı Manyetik Rezonans Görüntüleme

Özet

Scientific BACKGROUND: The signal intensity changes on diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) in Wilson’s Disease show the histopathological changes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the histopathological changes of Wilson’s disease which are characterized by a disorder in copper metabolism by DW-MRI and correlate them with the clinical findings.

MATERIALS-METHODS: DW-MRI of 8 patients aged 8-27 (mean 15) with central nervous system involvement were evaluated in terms of signal intensity changes and ADC (apparent diffusion coefficient) values were calculated. The clinical findings were correlated with the DW-MRI findings. The ADC values of a control group consisted of patients who had an MRI study for different reasons which revealed normal findings, were calculated for comparison.

RESULTS: 3 patients had restricted, 3 patients had increased and 2 had normal diffusion. The clinical setting was acute in the patients with restriction and a long-lasting neurological deficit was present in the patients with increased diffusion. Patients with normal diffusion presented in the subacute phase. ADC values of restricted diffusion were between 0.52x10-3 - 0.60x10-3 (mean 0.55x10-3), and of increased diffusion were between 1.54x10-3 - 1.70x10-3 (mean 1.62x10-3). The ADC values of the patients with normal DW-MRI and ADC maps were between 0.82x10-3 and 0.89x10-3 similar to those of the control group which were between 0.79x10-3 and 0.94x10-3.

CONCLUSION: DW-MRI reflects the histopathological changes in Wilson’s disease and these changes can be correlated with the duration of the disease.