The effect of high-dose steroids on MRI gadolinium enhancement in acute demyelinating lesions.

Gadolinium (Gd) enhancement of brain lesions by MRI is a marker of active blood-brain barrier damage secondary to an inflammatory process. We studied the effects of high-dose (1,000 mg/d) intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone (Mp) for 4 to 8 days on Gd-enhancing lesions in seven patients with acute demyelinating diseases and compared pretreatment brain MRIs with studies obtained 1 to 4 days after treatment. Five patients had complete suppression, and two had significant suppression of Gd enhancement following treatment. In addition, six of seven patients had Gd-enhancing lesions that explained their clinical signs; in five of six of these patients, suppression of the Gd-enhanced lesions temporally correlated with clinical improvement. Thus, short courses of high-dose IV Mp suppress Gd enhancement in acute demyelinating lesions, and this correlates with clinical improvement.