Optic neuritis: imaging with magnetization transfer

• Published in: American journal of roentgenology (1976) Vol. 169; no. 6; pp. 1709 - 1712
• Main Authors: Boorstein, JM, Moonis, G, Boorstein, SM, Patel, YP, Culler, AS
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Leesburg, VA Am Roentgen Ray Soc 01.12.1997; American Roentgen Ray Society
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Contrast Media; Diseases of visual field, optic nerve, optic chiasma and optic tracts; Female; Gadolinium DTPA; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Ophthalmology; Optic Nerve - pathology; Optic Neuritis - diagnosis; Prospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Human; Magnetization transfer; Nervous system diseases; Sensitivity analysis; Optic nerve; Spin echo; Contrast effect; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Eye disease; Improvement; Cranial nerve disease; Optic nevritis; Medical imagery; Diagnosis; Technique
• ISSN: 0361-803X; 1546-3141
• DOI: 10.2214/ajr.169.6.9393194

Our objective was to prospectively examine the optic nerves in patients with clinically severe unilateral optic neuritis, using routine spin-echo and magnetization transfer MR imaging. For 39 patients with such lesions, we calculated the magnetization transfer ratio along the involved intraorbital optic nerve and along the asymptomatic contralateral optic nerve in a mirror-image location. Magnetization transfer ratios were correlated with the imaging findings on routine spin-echo MR imaging. Magnetization transfer ratios were decreased in 33 of the 39 clinically symptomatic optic nerves, including 12 of the 18 clinically symptomatic optic nerves in which no abnormality was seen on routine spin-echo MR images obtained before and after administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Magnetization transfer imaging reveals intraorbital optic nerve abnormalities in patients with optic neuritis even when such lesions are otherwise occult on routine magnetization transfer imaging.