Paolo Florent Felisaz1, Andrea Poli2, Raimondo Vitale3, Giovanni Vitale3, Carlo Asteggiano3, Niels Bergsland4, Ilaria Callegari5, Elisa Vegezzi5, Laura Piccolo6, Andrea Cortese6, Anna Pichiecchio7, Stefano Bastianello7. 1. Department of Neuroradiology, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Pavia, Italy. Electronic address: paolo.felisaz@gmail.com. 2. Department of Neuroradiology, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Pavia, Italy. 3. Department of Neuroradiology, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Pavia, Italy; Institute of Radiology, University of Pavia, Italy. 4. Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA. 5. Department of Neurology, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Pavia, Italy; Neuroscience Consortium, University of Pavia, Monza Policlinico and Pavia Mondino, Italy. 6. Department of Neurology, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Pavia, Italy. 7. Department of Neuroradiology, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Pavia, Italy; Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, PV, Italy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In this study we investigated the potential of magnetic resonance (MR) micro-neurography to detect morphological and relaxometric changes in distal tibial nerves in patients affected with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and their associations with clinical and electrophysiological features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 10 subjects affected with CIDP and 10 healthy subjects were examined. Multiple MR parameters, including the number of fascicles (N), fascicles diameter (FD), total fascicles area (FA), epineurium area (EA), total nerve area (NA), fascicles to nerve ratio (FNR) and quantitative T2 and proton density (PD) were investigated on high resolution MR images of the distal tibial nerve. Those parameters were correlated with clinical scores, age of onset, disease duration and electrophysiologic data. RESULTS: Median NA and FA were significantly increased in the CIDP population (median values for NA in cm2 in CIDP: 0.185; controls: 0.135; p: 0.028; for FA in CIDP 0.136; controls 0.094; p: 0.021). There was no correlation between the parameters investigated and clinical or electrophysiologic features. CONCLUSION: MR microneurography can detect increased total nerve and fascicle area in distal tibial nerves in CIDP and may be useful for diagnosing CIDP.
OBJECTIVE: In this study we investigated the potential of magnetic resonance (MR) micro-neurography to detect morphological and relaxometric changes in distal tibial nerves in patients affected with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and their associations with clinical and electrophysiological features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 10 subjects affected with CIDP and 10 healthy subjects were examined. Multiple MR parameters, including the number of fascicles (N), fascicles diameter (FD), total fascicles area (FA), epineurium area (EA), total nerve area (NA), fascicles to nerve ratio (FNR) and quantitative T2 and proton density (PD) were investigated on high resolution MR images of the distal tibial nerve. Those parameters were correlated with clinical scores, age of onset, disease duration and electrophysiologic data. RESULTS: Median NA and FA were significantly increased in the CIDP population (median values for NA in cm2 in CIDP: 0.185; controls: 0.135; p: 0.028; for FA in CIDP 0.136; controls 0.094; p: 0.021). There was no correlation between the parameters investigated and clinical or electrophysiologic features. CONCLUSION: MR microneurography can detect increased total nerve and fascicle area in distal tibial nerves in CIDP and may be useful for diagnosing CIDP.