Maria
A. Rocca1, Sarlota Mesaros1, Elisabetta Pagani1,
Maria Pia Sormani1,2, Vittorio Martinelli3, Giancarlo
Comi3, Massimo Filippi1
1Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute
of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and
University Hospital San Raffaele, Milan, Italy; 2Unit of
Biostatistics, DISSAL, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; 3Department
of Neurology, Scientific Institute and University Hospital San Raffaele,
Milan, Italy
We
assessed the value of thalamic damage (in terms of atrophy and magnetization
transfer ratio-MTR), taken in isolation, and its short-term changes in
predicting accumulation of disability over an 8-year period in 73 patients
with relapse-onset multiple sclerosis (MS). At the end of follow up, 44
patients (60%) showed a significant disability worsening. A multivariable
model included baseline thalamic fraction [p=0.01, odds ratio (OR)=0.62], and
average lesion MTR percentage change after 12 months (p=0.04, OR=0.90) as
independent predictors of disability worsening at 8 years (r2=0.29)
suggesting that thalamic damage predicts the long-term accumulation of
disability in MS.
Keywords