Automated T2 quantitation in neuropsychiatric lupus erythematosus: A marker of active disease†
Helen Petropoulos BE
Center for Non-Invasive Diagnosis, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Search for more papers by this authorWilmer L. Sibbitt Jr. MD
Center for Non-Invasive Diagnosis, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
William M. Brooks PhD
Center for Non-Invasive Diagnosis, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Center for Non-Invasive Diagnosis, 1201 Yale Blvd NE, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131.Search for more papers by this authorHelen Petropoulos BE
Center for Non-Invasive Diagnosis, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Search for more papers by this authorWilmer L. Sibbitt Jr. MD
Center for Non-Invasive Diagnosis, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
William M. Brooks PhD
Center for Non-Invasive Diagnosis, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.
Center for Non-Invasive Diagnosis, 1201 Yale Blvd NE, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131.Search for more papers by this authorPresented in part at the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Conference, New York, 1996.
Abstract
Active neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is characterized by brain edema as measured by manual quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) relaxometry. An automated image processing method was developed to segment gray matter (GM), while minimizing the effects of confounding factors, specifically cerebral atrophy and volume averaging artifacts. Twenty patients with SLE (10 major, 10 minor), matched for atrophy, were studied. We compared T2 calculated for GM segmented by manual and automated methods. Both methods demonstrated a marked increase in GM T2 in patients with major NPSLE (P < 0.001), confirming the presence of cerebral edema. The results from each method were highly correlated, (r = 0.64, P = 0.002). The automated method effectively identifies GM, minimizes volume averaging artifacts, and produces results similar to the manual method. This method markedly decreases analysis time and will make quantitative relaxometry a valuable contribution to the clinical management of NPSLE. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;9:39–43 © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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