ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: MR imaging is a sensitive diagnostic tool and paraclinical marker of disease activity and prognosis in multiple sclerosis (MS), yet the role of MR imaging of MS is controversial. The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between cognitive function and MS lesion size and position, as shown on comparative images from conventional spin-echo (CSE) and fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (fast FLAIR) MR studies. METHODS: CSE and fast FLAIR sequences consisted of 40 noncontiguous, 3-mm-thick axial sections matched for geometric position in 18 patients with relapsing-remitting MS. Lesions were scored for size, anatomic position, and their comparative appearance on CSE and fast FLAIR images. The neuropsychological assessment tested general psychological performance, memory, and frontal lobe executive function. RESULTS: Fast FLAIR images showed significantly more small (146 versus six) and medium-sized (18 versus four) juxtacortical lesions than did CSE sequences. Small juxtacortical lesions displayed only on fast FLAIR images had a distinctive appearance, suggestive of small areas of perivascular inflammation. The number of these lesions corresponded to reduced performance on the fifth and delayed trials of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning memory function test. CONCLUSION: Fast FLAIR images show small lesions at the juxtacortical boundary that are not seen on CSE studies. The presence of such lesions correlates with impaired retention of information in memory tasks, which is characteristic of cognitive problems in patients with MS.
Subject(s)
Amnesia/diagnosis , Cerebral Cortex/pathology , Image Enhancement , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Mental Recall/physiology , Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/diagnosis , Adult , Amnesia/physiopathology , Cerebral Cortex/physiopathology , Disability Evaluation , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/physiopathology , Neuropsychological TestsABSTRACT
Cerebral infarction is an uncommon complication of AIDS in pediatric patients. We have seen three HIV-infected children who developed acute neurological deficits due to stroke. Cerebral infarction must be considered in the work-up of a child with AIDS who presents with focal neurological deficit, seizure or mental status change. Stroke is a complication of HIV infection that occurs in approximately 1% of affected children [1]. At autopsy, evidence of cerebral infarction was documented in 10-30% of children with HIV infection [2]. We have seen three children with focal infarction who are HIV positive.
