New MRI technique could improve diagnosis and treatment of multiple
sclerosis

Date:
January 18, 2022
Source:
Medical University of Vienna
Summary:
It is important that multiple sclerosis (MS) is diagnosed and
treated as early as possible in order to delay progression of
the disease. The technique of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
plays a key role in this process. A new MRI technique could pave
the way to quicker assessment of disease activity in MS.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
It is important that multiple sclerosis (MS) is diagnosed and treated
as early as possible in order to delay progression of the disease. The technique of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a key role in this
process. In the search for ever better methods, a new MRI technique has
been used at MedUni Vienna as part of a research project that could pave
the way to quicker assessment of disease activity in MS. The study was conducted by a research team led by Wolfgang Bogner at MedUni Vienna's Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy and was recently published in the journal Radiology.


========================================================================== Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that
manifests itself in changes (lesions) primarily in the brain. As yet,
there is no cure for MS, but it can be effectively treated. Early
diagnosis is critical to the prognosis, with highly detailed imaging
techniques playing a major role.

Although conventional MRI can detect brain lesions, scientists are
researching methods to detect the changes at an earlier microscopic or biochemical stage.

The method known as proton MR spectroscopy has been identified as a
promising tool for this purpose.

Using this technique, the research group led by Eva Niess (formerly
Heckova) and Wolfgang Bogner from MedUni Vienna's Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, working with scientists from MedUni
Vienna's Department of Neurology, went one step further in their recently published study. The team used MR spectroscopy with a 7-tesla magnet
to compare the neurochemical changes in the brains of 65 MS patients
with those of 20 healthy controls. This particularly powerful imaging
tool was co-developed by MedUni Vienna researchers and has been used
for scientific studies, e.g., of the brain, at MedUni Vienna's Center
of Excellence for High-Field MR since it was commissioned in 2008.

Identifying and predicting changes Using 7-tesla MRI, MedUni Vienna
researchers have now been able to identify MS- relevant neurochemicals,
i.e. chemicals involved in the function of the nervous system. "This
allowed us to visualize brain changes in regions that appear normal on conventional MRI scans," says study leader Wolfgang Bogner, pointing to
one of the study's main findings. According to the study's lead author,
Eva Niess, these findings could play a significant role in the care of
MS patients in the future: "Some neurochemical changes that we've been
able to visualize with the new technique occur early in the course of
the disease and might not only correlate with disability but also predict further disease progression." Clinical studies and further developments
follow More research is needed before these findings can be incorporated
into clinical applications, explain Niess and Bogner. They say that the
results already show 7-tesla spectroscopic MR imaging to be a valuable
new tool in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and in the treatment of
MS patients.

"If the results are confirmed in further studies, this new neuroimaging technique could become a standard imaging tool for initial diagnosis
and for monitoring disease activity and treatment in MS patients," says Wolfgang Bogner, looking to the future. The method is currently only
available on the only 7-Tesla MRI scanner in Austria at MedUni Vienna
and only for research purposes. However, the scientific team led by Eva
Niess and Wolfgang Bogner is working on refining the new method for use
in routine clinical MRI scanners.

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========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Eva Heckova, Assunta Dal-Bianco, Bernhard Strasser, Gilbert
J. Hangel,
Alexandra Lipka, Stanislav Motyka, Lukas Hingerl, Paulus S. Rommer,
Thomas Berger, Petra Hnilicova', Ema Kantorova', Fritz Leutmezer,
Egon Kurča, Stephan Gruber, Siegfried Trattnig, Wolfgang
Bogner.

Extensive Brain Pathologic Alterations Detected with 7.0-T MR
Spectroscopic Imaging Associated with Disability in Multiple
Sclerosis.

Radiology, 2022; DOI: 10.1148/radiol.210614 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220118104107.htm

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