Abstract #0155

Quantitative assessment of the degeneration of the superior cerebellar peduncle in Friedreich’s ataxia at 7 T: susceptibility, diffusion anisotropy, and T2 and T1 relaxometry

Sina Straub¹, Julian Emmerich^1,2, Stephanie Mangesius³, Elisabetta Indelicato⁴, Mark E. Ladd^1,2,5, Sylvia Boesch⁴, and Elke R. Gizewski³

¹Division of Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany, ²Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany, ³Department of Neuroradiology, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, ⁴Department of Neurology, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, ⁵Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany

Friedreich’s ataxia is a rare disease involving degenerative processes within white matter fiber tracts, spinal nerves and the cerebellum. A correlation of patients’ clinical status and superior cerebellar peduncle atrophy has been shown in MR volumetry studies. The ongoing ultra-high field study presented here assesses the degeneration of the superior cerebellar peduncle in Friedreich’s ataxia with quantitative MR parameters – susceptibility, diffusion anisotropy, and T₂ and T₁ relaxometry. Statistically significant differences between fractional anisotropy as well as T₂ values in patients and healthy controls could be observed, indicating that these quantitative MRI methods potentially provide valuable biomarkers to assess the course of Friedreich’s ataxia.

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