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Abstract #0389

T2*-Weighted Images Discriminate Multiple Sclerosis from Ischaemic Lesions

Jennifer Elizabeth Dixon1, Emma C. Tallantyre2, Ian Donaldson2, Trudy Owens3, Nikos Evangelou2, Peter G. Morris1

1Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; 2Department of Clinical Neurology, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; 3Department of Economics, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom


The detection of demyelinating lesions using MRI plays an important role in the diagnosis of MS. However, demyelinating brain lesions can be difficult to distinguish from small foci of cerebral ischaemia on MR images. Here we show that using ultra-high-field MRI we can reliably demonstrate the perivenous orientation of MS lesions and in doing so distinguish them from ischaemic brain lesions. The observation that T2* image contrast can be employed to differentiate between ischaemic and demyelinating lesions at ultra-high field offers hope that similar techniques could be adapted for application on clinically available systems.