急性播散性脑脊髓炎的脑部MRI表现

目的　描述急性播散性脑脊髓炎的脑部MRI表现 ,探讨MRI对该病的诊断价值以及在评价疗效中的作用。方法　符合临床诊断标准的急性播散性脑脊髓炎患者 9例 ,男 8例 ,女 1例 ,年龄 9～ 47岁。 6例发病前有病毒感染或疫苗接种史。全部 9例行头部MRI检查 ,7例行MRI复查。结果　病变多发且分布不对称 ,9例大脑白质受累 ,6例同时累及丘脑 ,4例可见“垂直征” ,病变呈大小不等的片状或点状异常信号 ,6例可见异常对比增强 ,7例复查见异常信号缩小且数目减少。结论急性播散性脑脊髓炎的MRI脑部表现颇具特征性 ,结合病史及单时相病程可作出早期诊断 ,MRI随访是评价疗效的重要手段。MRI显示丘脑受累是鉴别本病与多发性硬化的主要依据。     

MR diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

High-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in three patients with clinically diagnosed acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). Contrast enhanced CT was normal in all cases. Magnetic resonance demonstrated multiple foci of demyelination in the brain stem, cerebrum, and cerebellum. Lesions were characteristic, in that they were relatively few in number, frequently present in the brain stem and posterior fossa, nonhemorrhagic, asymmetric, and easily correlated with clinical symptoms and signs. Follow-up MR in one patient who had clinically improved after steroid therapy showed marked resolution of previously documented lesions. Typical MR findings in combination with the appropriate clinical presentation can confirm the diagnosis of ADEM, obviate other more invasive diagnostic tests, identify the extent and sites of involvement, and follow response to therapy.     

儿童急性播散性脑脊髓炎与临床孤立综合征的临床及影像学比较研究

目的探讨急性播散性脑脊髓炎(acute disseminated encephalomyelitis,ADEM)与临床孤立综合征(clini-cally isolated syndrome,CIS)的鉴别诊断要点。资料与方法搜集39例患儿首发中枢神经系统脱髓鞘病变时的临床及影像学资料。其中CIS 18例,包括女13例,男5例;ADEM共21例,其中女8例,男13例。平均随访时间4.2年,最短随访时间为2年。由一名儿科神经医师对CIS及ADEM的临床表现进行了归类总结。由一名资深神经影像学医师对患者ADEM及CIS头颅MRI表现进行分析,内容包括病灶的位置、大小、形态。对计数资料采用Fisher精确检验,对计量资料进行非参数Mann-Whitney U检验。分别应用几种CIS的诊断标准对患儿进行评价,比较分析每种标准诊断的特异性、敏感性、阳性预测值及阴性预测值。结果 39例儿童ADEM与CIS患者中,ADEM发病年龄小,平均约(6.14±3.41)岁;CIS平均发病年龄(10.05±2.87)岁,两者之间差异有统计学意义(P=0.000);ADEM临床表现以发热和运动障碍为主,分别占76%和71%,高于CIS的33%和22%(P=0.011,0.004)。而CIS中视力障碍及脑脊液寡克隆带阳性出现率分别占50%和61%,与ADEM的0%和24%比较,差异具有统计学意义(P=0.000,0.025)。随访中儿童ADEM的改良的Rankin量表评分不如CIS。影像学特征中,与CIS比较,中央白质病变及脑萎缩在ADEM中表现更为明显,分别占100%和38%(P=0.001,0.023);ADEM病灶分布相对对称。CIS的视神经及脊髓病变出现率分别为22%、17%,ADEM未出现此类病变(P=0.037,P=0.089)。"黑洞"在CIS中具有显著特异性,与ADEM比较差异具有统计学意义(P=0.037)。Callen诊断MS的标准敏感性最高,为87%。KIDMUS(2个均满足)MS诊断标准及Callen的鉴别MS与ADEM标准特异性均较高,分别为92%和90%。KID-MUS敏感性最差,为33%。Barkhof的成人MS标准在儿童中敏感性及特异性均较低,分别为22%和57%。结论临床及影像学特征的结合,可以帮助早期诊断与鉴别ADEM与CIS。在诊断CIS时应该用Callen诊断MS标准为主,而鉴别ADEM和CIS时可以用Callen的鉴别标准。     

Magnetization transfer and diffusion tensor MR imaging of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and multiple sclerosis (MS) have a similar pattern of abnormalities on conventional MR images. We used magnetization transfer and diffusion tensor MR imaging to quantify normal-appearing brain tissue and cervical cord disease in patients with ADEM and to compare findings with those in healthy volunteers and patients with MS. METHODS: Brain dual-echo, T1-weighted magnetization transfer, and diffusion tensor images were obtained in eight patients with ADEM, in 10 patients with MS, and in 10 healthy volunteers. Fast short-tau inversion recovery, T1-weighted, and magnetization transfer cervical cord images were also obtained. We identified lesions on the images and quantified their volumes. We performed histogram analysis of the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) and average mean histogram analysis of the diffusivity (D) in normal-appearing brain tissue and MTR in the cervical cord. RESULTS: Histogram analysis of normal-appearing brain tissue in patients with MS showed significantly lower MTRs and peak positions and significantly higher D averages compared with those in patients with ADEM. Patients with MS had significantly lower MTRs and D peak heights and significantly higher average D compared with those in healthy volunteers. Between patients with ADEM and control subjects, normal-appearing brain tissue MTR and D histogram metrics did not differ significantly. Cervical cord MTRs did not differ between control subjects and patients with ADEM, whereas the average MTR and histogram peak position was significantly lower in patients with MS than in the other groups. CONCLUSION: Outside the acute phase of disease and as opposed to what happens in MS, the normal-appearing brain tissue and cervical cord in patients with ADEM are spared in the pathologic process.     

High-signal periventricular lesions in patients with sarcoidosis: neurosarcoidosis or multiple sclerosis?

The vast majority of periventricular abnormalities visualized with MR imaging in patients less than 50 years old represents multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. There are many other causes of periventricular lesions, most of which can be differentiated from MS on the basis of history and physical or MR findings. Five cases of biopsy- or Kveim test-proved sarcoidosis with MR findings consistent with MS are reported. Each of these patients, diagnosed as having sarcoidosis, had symptoms identical to those seen in MS. Although these patients have not had histologic characterization of the intraparenchymal lesions seen on MR, they illustrate the difficulty of differentiating sarcoidosis with CNS involvement from MS in some patients on the basis of clinical, radiographic, electrodiagnostic, or CSF testing. This series contributes to a growing body of evidence that neurosarcoidosis probably should be included in the differential diagnosis of isolated periventricular lesions in patients less than 50 years old.     

Morton's neuroma: is it always symptomatic?

OBJECTIVE: We determined the prevalence of clinically silent Morton's neuroma and searched for distinguishing MR imaging features of Morton's neuroma in patients with clinical complaints related to this entity and in patients with clinically silent lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One radiologist who was unaware of clinical findings retrospectively reviewed 85 consecutive foot MR examinations. MR imaging criteria for Morton's neuroma included a low- to intermediate-signal-intensity soft-tissue mass in the intermetatarsal space. The size, location, and signal intensity of each neuroma and the presence of intermetatarsal bursae were recorded. The patients were subdivided into symptomatic or asymptomatic groups on the basis of the patients' answers on a questionnaire documenting the locations and characteristics of symptoms and discussions with each referring physician about clinical findings. Surgical confirmation was available in eight of 25 symptomatic patients. RESULTS: The prevalence of Morton's neuroma in patients with no clinical evidence of this condition was 33% (19/57). Twenty-five patients had symptomatic Morton's neuroma, 19 had Morton's neuroma based on MR imaging findings with no clinical manifestations, and 41 did not have Morton's neuroma. Slightly larger lesions were observed in the symptomatic group, although significant overlap was noted between the two groups. The mean transverse diameter of symptomatic neuromas was 5.3 mm (standard deviation, 2.14) compared with 4.1 mm (standard deviation, 1.75) for asymptomatic neuromas; this difference was marginally significant (p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: The MR imaging diagnosis of Morton's neuroma does not imply symptomatology. Careful correlation between clinical and MR imaging findings is mandatory before Morton's neuroma is considered clinically relevant.     

MR imaging of multiple sclerosis

Owing to its ability to depict the pathologic features of multiple sclerosis (MS) in exquisite detail, conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has become an established tool in the diagnosis of this disease and in monitoring its evolution. MR imaging has been formally included in the diagnostic work-up of patients who present with a clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of MS, and ad hoc diagnostic criteria have been proposed and are updated on a regular basis. In patients with established MS and in those participating in treatment trials, examinations performed with conventional MR pulse sequences provide objective measures to monitor disease activity and progression; however, they have a limited prognostic role. This has driven the application of newer MR imaging technologies, including higher-field-strength MR units, to estimate overall MS burden and mechanisms of recovery in patients at different stages of the disease. These techniques have allowed in vivo assessment of the heterogeneity of MS pathologic features in focal lesions and in normal-appearing tissues. More recently, some of the finer details of MS, including macrophage infiltration and abnormal iron deposition, have become quantifiable with MR imaging. The utility of these modern MR techniques in clinical trial monitoring and in the assessment of the individual patient's response to treatment still need to be evaluated.     

MR imaging in multiple sclerosis: comparison with clinical, CSF, and visual evoked potential findings

MR examinations of 136 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were evaluated to correlate the results with clinical, CSF, and visual evoked potential (VEP) findings. In addition, 22 of the 136 patients were studied several times during a 5-month follow-up period. It was demonstrated that MR is superior to CSF and VEP findings in establishing cerebral alterations in MS. A relationship between the results of CSF and VEP examinations and the MR results could not be detected. Negative CSF and VEP results corresponded to positive MR imaging and vice versa. In our series, five negative MR results were obtained in patients with clinically proved MS. The extent of alterations shown up by MR corresponds to the duration of the disease; in particular, more confluent abnormalities in the periventricular region were found in patients with long-standing disease. More plaques were found in patients with a primary relapsing/remitting course of the disease than with the primary chronic progressive form. The clinical course and the grade of disability did not correspond to differences in MR imaging. Follow-up demonstrated that most lesions remain unchanged (72-79%); increases and decreases in the size of the plaques seem to depend on the clinical course. These results suggest that MR is the most sensitive technique for establishing the diagnosis of MS.     

The effect of gadolinium on the sensitivity and specificity of MR in the initial diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

PURPOSETo determine whether gadolinium can improve the sensitivity and specificity of MR imaging for the initial diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.METHODSPatients (n = 57) with neurologic symptoms suggesting multiple sclerosis were studied prospectively. MR imaging consisted of T2-weighted and gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted spin-echo images. Lumbar puncture was performed for cerebrospinal fluid analysis in 34 patients.RESULTSAfter imaging, 17 patients (35%) had clinically definite multiple sclerosis. Cerebrospinal fluid examination had a sensitivity of 69% and specificity of 38%. Using liberal criteria, the sensitivity of T2-weighted MR imaging was 94% and the specificity 55%; using more strict criteria, the specificity increased to 65% with a sensitivity of 88%. Gadopentetate dimeglumine enhancement increased the specificity further to 80% with a loss of sensitivity (59%).CONCLUSIONGadolinium enhancement increases the specificity of MR imaging in the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.     

Intramedullary osteosclerosis: imaging features in nine patients.

PURPOSE: To determine the conventional radiographic, computed tomographic (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, scintigraphic, and histologic features of intramedullary osteosclerosis and to review the clinical features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine female patients with leg pain and imaging features indicative of intramedullary sclerosis were seen during a 25-year period. None of the patients had a history of trauma or infection, familial bone disease, or related abnormal laboratory findings. Imaging studies included radiography (n = 9), CT (n = 4), MR imaging (n = 5), and skeletal scintigraphy (n = 5). Histologic correlation was available in five patients. RESULTS: Sixteen bone lesions (midtibia, n = 14; distal fibula, n = 1; and proximal femur, n = 1) were evident. Both lower extremities were involved in seven patients, and a single extremity was involved in two. Intramedullary sclerosis was present, as was cortical thickening, mainly in the diaphysis of the long bones, without extensive periosteal reaction or soft-tissue involvement. Findings at bone scintigraphy were positive in all lesions. Histologic analysis showed nonspecific changes of markedly sclerotic bone with a variable degree of mineralization and maturity. CONCLUSION: Intramedullary osteosclerosis is a distinct disorder that typically affects the diaphysis of one or both tibiae in women. Characteristic imaging findings, when coupled with clinical information, allow precise diagnosis.     

Isolated demyelinating syndromes: comparison of different MR imaging criteria to predict conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Various authors have developed criteria to classify MR imaging findings that suggest the possibility of multiple sclerosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the capacity of three sets of MR imaging criteria for predicting the conversion of isolated demyelinating syndromes to clinically definite multiple sclerosis. METHODS: Seventy patients with clinically isolated neurologic symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis were prospectively studied with MR imaging. The MR imaging findings were evaluated by two independent neuroradiologists who were blinded to clinical follow-up data. Based on the clinical outcome at follow-up (presence of a second attack that established clinically definite multiple sclerosis), the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the criteria proposed by Paty et al, Fazekas et al, and Barkhof et al were calculated. RESULTS: Clinically definite multiple sclerosis developed in 22 (31%) patients after a mean follow-up time of 28.3 months. The criteria proposed by Paty et al and those proposed by Fazekas et al showed identical results: sensitivity, 86%; specificity, 54%; accuracy, 64%; positive predictive value, 46%; and negative predictive value, 89%. The criteria proposed by Barkhof et al showed the following: sensitivity, 73%; specificity, 73%; accuracy, 73%; positive predictive value, 55%; and negative predictive value, 85%. CONCLUSION: The four dichotomized MR imaging parameters proposed by Barkhof et al are more specific and accurate than the criteria proposed by Paty et al or Fazekas et al for predicting conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis.     

Spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging in suspected multiple sclerosis

We examined the value of spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnostic work-up of multiple sclerosis (MS). Forty patients suspected of having MS were examined within 24 months after the start of symptoms. Disability was assessed, and symptoms were categorized as either brain or spinal cord. Work-up further included cerebrospinal fluid analysis and standard proton-density, T2-, and T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced brain and spinal cord MRI. Patients were categorized as either clinically definite MS (n = 13), laboratory-supported definite MS (n = 14), or clinically probable MS (n = 4); four patients had clinically probable MS, and in nine MS was suspected. Spinal cord abnormalities were found in 35 of 40 patients (87.5 %), consisting of focal lesions in 31, only diffuse abnormalities in two, and both in two. Asymptomatic spinal cord lesions occurred in six patients. All patients with diffuse spinal cord abnormality had clear spinal cord symptoms and a primary progressive disease course. In clinically definite MS, the inclusion of spinal imaging increased the sensitivity of MRI to 100 %. Seven patients without a definite diagnosis had clinically isolated syndromes involving the spinal cord. Brain MRI was inconclusive, while all had focal spinal cord lesions which explained symptoms and ruled out other causes. Two other patients had atypical brain abnormalities suggesting ischemic/vascular disease. No spinal cord abnormalities were found, and during follow-up MS was ruled out. Spinal cord abnormalities are common in suspected MS, and may occur asymptomatic. Although diagnostic classification is seldom changed, spinal cord imaging increases diagnostic sensitivity of MRI in patients with suspected MS. In addition, patients with primary progressive MS may possibly be earlier diagnosed. Finally, differentiation with atypical lesions may be improved. Received: 21 April 1999; Revised: 3 August 1999; Accepted: 7 August 1999     

Multiple sclerosis: specificity of MR for diagnosis

The specificity of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) has not been measured systematically. Conventional MR head images with sagittal localizer and axial multiple-echo sequences with long repetition times were obtained in 92 patients with clinically verified MS (Schumacher criteria), 100 healthy volunteers, 60 subjects with hypertension, and eight patients with dementia. Two readers, without the aid of any clinical or demographic information, classified each of the 260 studies as MS or not MS. The readers classified the studies again after being supplied with the subjects' ages and sex. True-negative and true-positive diagnoses of MS were tabulated. The specificity of the MR diagnosis of MS (true-negative results in proportion to all non-MS studies) was 95%-99% with all the control groups included. There is a small risk of misinterpreting incidental periventricular white matter foci as plaques of MS in MR studies.     

Multiple sclerosis: gadolinium enhancement in MR imaging

Magnetic resonance (MR) images--both nonenhanced and enhanced with gadolinium DTPA/dimeglumine (Gd)--were compared with high-iodine (88.1 g I) computed tomographic (HICT) scans in demonstrating lesions in 15 patients known to have multiple sclerosis (MS). T1-weighted, mixed (T1, proton density, and T2), and T2-weighted MR pulse sequences were used. More than 20 lesions in each of 14 patients were demonstrated by pre-Gd mixed images and T2WI. Nine patients had clinical symptoms of active disease. Gd-enhanced T1WI showed at least one lesion that appeared to correspond with newly reported symptoms or signs. In addition, three clinically stable patients showed enhancement. Enhancement was best seen on 3-minute T1WI. HICT scans showed enhancement in four of the nine patients with active disease and in none of five clinically stable patients. Gd-enhanced MR imaging appears to be more sensitive than HICT in the detection of the transient abnormalities of the blood-brain barrier that occur in patients with active MS and appears capable of distinguishing active lesions that may correspond to the anatomic regions responsible for abnormal clinical findings.     

Contribution of magnetic resonance imaging to the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is an extremely sensitive modality for detecting focal changes to the white matter (WM) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). For this reason, it has become an integral part of the diagnostic workup of patients with clinically isolated syndromes who are at risk of developing definite MS, and it is always recommended in patients with definite MS to confirm the diagnosis and monitor the disease course. Crucial to the use of MR imaging for diagnostic purposes is the identification of lesion features — in terms of site, shape and size — that may be considered suggestive or typical for MS, and thus help in the differential diagnosis with other neurological diseases with similar clinical presentation to MS. This need has led to the publication of several guidelines for characterising MS lesions on both dualecho (T2 and proton density) and T1-weighted sequences after administration of contrast material. Developments in clinical research into MS have highlighted the need to formulate a diagnosis as far as possible on the basis of objective and reproducible criteria. Currently, when making a clinical diagnosis and monitoring patients with suspected MS, neurologists and neuroradiologists make use of specific diagnostic criteria that have changed over the years and will probably continue to be updated. It is therefore crucial for radiologists to become familiar with these criteria in order to improve the quality of their diagnostic assessment. In patients with a definite diagnosis of MS, on the other hand, the main problem is to define standard procedures for monitoring the course of the disease and response to pharmacological treatments. even though no guidelines currently exist, it is possible to suggest some strategies to improve the assessment in this setting.     

Delayed MR imaging changes in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: White matter lesions on MR images obtained from patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) have been reported to appear shortly after symptom onset, and their resolution has been claimed to parallel recovery. To elucidate the temporal evolution of these lesions and to associate the changes on MR images to the patients' clinical condition, we performed serial MR imaging on patients with ADEM. METHODS: Several consecutive T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery scans were obtained from four previously healthy adult patients with ADEM within the first days after the onset of symptoms and again during the recovery period. MR imaging was done first on a weekly to biweekly basis and later at 1- to 2-month intervals for up to 8 months. RESULTS: MR scans of three of these patients did not show any specific abnormalities until several weeks after the onset of the disease. As the lesions later appeared, their number increased during the recovery period. CONCLUSION: MR imaging performed during the first days after the onset of the disease may not reveal any pathologic findings. The appearance of the ADEM-associated MR imaging changes may be associated with recovery rather than decline. It remains to be studied whether the new MR imaging techniques reveal the lesions associated with ADEM faster than the conventional T2-weighted imaging.     

Differentiating multiple sclerosis from other causes of demyelination using diffusion weighted imaging of the corpus callosum

Purpose

To compare diffusion weighted imaging metrics in gray and white matter brain regions of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) to those diagnosed with secondary demyelinating diseases such as neurosarcoid and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM).

Materials and Methods

Diffusion weighted scans were performed and apparent diffusion coefficients of 12 regions of interest were determined in 30 MS patients, 21 neurosarcoid patients, and 4 ADEM patients.

Results

Mean apparent diffusion coefficients were significantly higher in MS patients than in non‐MS patients in 6 of 6 of the corpus callosal regions assessed but not in any of the non‐callosal white or gray matter regions assessed.

Conclusion

Elevated apparent diffusion coefficients within the corpus callosum on diffusion weighted imaging may potentially help differentiate between patients with MS and patients with other diseases affecting the central nervous system white matter. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;30:732–736. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Peripheral third cranial nerve enhancement in multiple sclerosis

Cranial nerve III dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS) is uncommon. Seven cases of isolated cranial nerve III paresis associated with MS have been reported in the English-language literature. MR imaging was obtained in five cases demonstrating lesions within the midbrain. We present the detailed clinical and MR imaging findings of a young woman with MS and an isolated, painful pupil involving complete left cranial nerve III palsy. Initial MR imaging showed isolated enhancement of the cisternal portion of the cranial nerve III, suggesting that peripheral nervous system involvement may develop as part of the disease process in some patients with MS.     

Benign versus secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis: the potential role of proton MR spectroscopy in defining the nature of disability.

PURPOSEWe determined the clinical utility of proton MR spectroscopy in defining the extent of disability in benign versus secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).METHODSThirty patients with clinically definite MS, including 16 patients with benign MS and 14 with secondary-progressive MS, and a group of 13 healthy volunteers were studied with combined stimulated-echo acquisition mode proton MR spectroscopy and MR imaging (all patients received contrast material).RESULTSAcute enhancing lesions of benign and secondary-progressive MS were characterized by a reduction in N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/choline and NAA/creatine and an increase in inositol compounds/creatine as compared with normal white matter. Such variations were also detected in chronic unenhancing lesions in patients with secondary-progressive MS, although they were not found in chronic unenhancing lesions in patients with benign MS. Chronic lesions of the two forms of the disease have significative differences in NAA and inositol signals.CONCLUSIONProton MR spectroscopy is able to show metabolic changes occurring in the white matter of patients with MS. Such changes differ according to the phase (acute versus chronic) and the clinical form (benign versus secondary-progressive) of the disease.     

An exploratory study of ferumoxtran-10 nanoparticles as a blood-brain barrier imaging agent targeting phagocytic cells in CNS inflammatory lesions

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Iron oxide-based contrast agents have been investigated as more specific MR imaging agents for central nervous system (CNS) inflammation. Ferumoxtran-10 is a virus-size nanoparticle, taken up by reactive cells, that allows visualization of the phagocytic components of CNS lesions. Ferumoxtran-10 was compared with standard gadolinium-enhanced MR images in this exploratory trial to assess its potential in evaluation of CNS lesions with inflammatory aspects, including lymphoma, multiple sclerosis (MS), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), and vascular lesions. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with different types of intracranial "inflammatory" lesions underwent standard brain MR with and without gadolinium, followed an average of 10 days later by a ferumoxtran-10 scan. Patients were imaged 24 hours after infusion of 2.6 mg/kg ferumoxtran-10. All MR images were evaluated subjectively by 4 investigators for a difference in enhancement patterns, which could be useful in differential diagnoses. RESULTS: In 5 cases, (one ADEM, 2 stroke, one cavernous venous vascular malformation, one primary central nervous lymphoma) the ferumoxtran-10 scan showed higher signal intensity, larger area of enhancement, or new enhancing areas compared with gadolinium. Most MS patients showed less enhancement with ferumoxtran-10 than with gadolinium. CONCLUSION: Ferumoxtran-10 showed different enhancement patterns in a variety of CNS lesions with inflammatory components in comparison to gadolinium. The impact of timing and therapy need further evaluation to better assess ferumoxtran-10 in addition to gadolinium as contrast agents for use in diagnosis and monitoring therapy in patients with CNS inflammatory lesions.