Abstract

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, that causes permanent disabilities. Diagnostics of this disease by magnetic resonance requires the appliance of corresponding protocols with the sequences that emphasize demyelinating plaques. Standard sequences T1 and T2 sometimes cannot clearly show demyelinating plaques, and it is necessary to work on perfecting the sequences that emphasize the changes in the brain formed as demyelinating plaques.
The aim of the survey: The aim of the survey was to estimate the value of MR sequence with double inversion recovery (DIR) in discovering demyelinating lesions of the brain in multiple sclerosis (MS).
Patients and methods of the survey: 22 patients were included in the survey, they were of both genders and different age. The patients were with diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The patients underwent the scanning on MR apparatus 1.5 T. Comparison of DIR sequence to FLAIR and T2 W sequences were done.
Result: DIR sequence proved significantly more MS lesions compared to T2W or FLAIR sequence, including intracortical, juxtacortical and paraventricular zone of the brain. In the infratentorial zone of brain, T2W sequence proved significantly more plaques compared to DIR and FLAIR.
Conclusion: DIR sequence compared to T2W and FLAIR sequences discovered more demyelinating lesions in targeted regions that were examined. DIR sequence is a tool that contributes to easier and faster diagnostics of multiple sclerosis, needs to be included into the routine MR protocol of patients with MS, in order to discover more easily intracortical and juxtacortical MS lesions of the brain.

Key words: Double Inversion Recovery (DIR) Sequence, Fluid–attenuated Inversion–recovery (FLAIR) Sequence, T2 weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Multiple Sclerosis