Raphael Fernandes Casseb1,2, Jean Levi Ribeiro de Paiva1, Lucas Melo Teixeira Branco1, Alberto Rolim Muro Martinez1, Fabiano Reis3, José Carlos de Lima-Junior4, Gabriela Castellano2, Marcondes Cavalcante França Junior5. 1. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126, Cidade Universitaria "Zeferino Vaz", Campinas, SP, 13083-887, Brazil. 2. Neurophysics Group, Department of Cosmic Rays and Chronology, Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil. 3. Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil. 4. Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil. 5. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126, Cidade Universitaria "Zeferino Vaz", Campinas, SP, 13083-887, Brazil. mcfrancajr@uol.com.br.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: We investigated whether MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis of the cervical spinal cord could aid the (differential) diagnosis of sensory neuronopathies, an underdiagnosed group of diseases of the peripheral nervous system. METHODS: We obtained spinal cord DTI and T2WI at 3 T from 28 patients, 14 diabetic subjects with sensory-motor distal polyneuropathy, and 20 healthy controls. We quantified DTI-based parameters and looked at the hyperintense T2W signal at the spinal cord posterior columns. Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values at C2-C3 and C3-C4 levels were compared between groups. We also compared average fractional anisotropy (mean of values at C2-C3 and C3-C4 levels). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine diagnostic accuracy of average fractional anisotropy, and we compared its sensitivity against the hyperintense signal in segregating patients from the other subjects. RESULTS: Mean age and disease duration were 52 ± 10 and 11.4 ± 9.3 years in the patient group. Eighteen subjects had idiopathic disease and 6 dysimmune etiology. Fractional anisotropy at C3-C4 level and average fractional anisotropy were significantly different between patients and healthy controls (p < 0.001 and <0.001) and between patients and diabetic subjects (p = 0.019 and 0.027). Average fractional anisotropy presented an area under the curve of 0.838. Moreover, it had higher sensitivity than visual detection of the hyperintense signal (0.86 vs. 0.54), particularly for patients with short disease duration. CONCLUSION: DTI-based analysis enables in vivo detection of posterior column damage in sensory neuronopathy patients and is a useful diagnostic test for this condition. It also helps the differential diagnosis between sensory neuronopathy and distal polyneuropathies.
INTRODUCTION: We investigated whether MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis of the cervical spinal cord could aid the (differential) diagnosis of sensory neuronopathies, an underdiagnosed group of diseases of the peripheral nervous system. METHODS: We obtained spinal cord DTI and T2WI at 3 T from 28 patients, 14 diabetic subjects with sensory-motor distal polyneuropathy, and 20 healthy controls. We quantified DTI-based parameters and looked at the hyperintense T2W signal at the spinal cord posterior columns. Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values at C2-C3 and C3-C4 levels were compared between groups. We also compared average fractional anisotropy (mean of values at C2-C3 and C3-C4 levels). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine diagnostic accuracy of average fractional anisotropy, and we compared its sensitivity against the hyperintense signal in segregating patients from the other subjects. RESULTS: Mean age and disease duration were 52 ± 10 and 11.4 ± 9.3 years in the patient group. Eighteen subjects had idiopathic disease and 6 dysimmune etiology. Fractional anisotropy at C3-C4 level and average fractional anisotropy were significantly different between patients and healthy controls (p < 0.001 and <0.001) and between patients and diabetic subjects (p = 0.019 and 0.027). Average fractional anisotropy presented an area under the curve of 0.838. Moreover, it had higher sensitivity than visual detection of the hyperintense signal (0.86 vs. 0.54), particularly for patients with short disease duration. CONCLUSION: DTI-based analysis enables in vivo detection of posterior column damage in sensory neuronopathypatients and is a useful diagnostic test for this condition. It also helps the differential diagnosis between sensory neuronopathy and distal polyneuropathies.
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