White Matter Evaluation in Multiple Sclerosis Through Magnetic Resonance Kurtosis Imaging

Objectives: To investigate diffusional changes in multiple sclerosis (MS) plaques and non-Gaussian behavior of water diffusion by using diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI). Methods: 31 MS patients and 21 controls underwent MRI on a 3T scanner. Mean kurtosis (MK) parametric maps were computed. Region of interest (ROI) was delineated as white matter (WM) in controls and MS plaques and WM in patients. Results: There was no significance of WM kurtosis and skewness parameters among MS group and control group patients p=0.213 and p=0.390, respectively. In MS patients, kurtosis, skewness, maximum intensity, minimum intensity, and median intensity values of WM, Plaque 1, Plaque 2, and Plague 3 were significantly higher at p<0.0001 for all. Conclusions: DKI may provide more extensive characterization of lesions and WM and may be a sensitive indicator of tissue damage and microstructural change in patients with MS in addition to conventional diffusional evaluations.