06-01-2022 | Magnetic Resonance Imaging | Original Communication
MRI of the intraspinal nerve roots in patients with chronic inflammatory neuropathies: abnormalities correlate with clinical phenotypes
Authors:
Marieke H. J. van Rosmalen, Martijn Froeling, Stefano Mandija, Jeroen Hendrikse, W. Ludo van der Pol, H. Stephan Goedee
Published in:
Journal of Neurology
|
Issue 6/2022
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Abstract
Objective
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) are caused by inflammatory changes of peripheral nerves. It is unknown if the intra-spinal roots are also affected. This MRI study systematically visualized intra-spinal nerve roots, i.e., the ventral and dorsal roots, in patients with CIDP, MMN and motor neuron disease (MND).
Methods
We performed a cross-sectional study in 40 patients with CIDP, 27 with MMN and 34 with MND. All patients underwent an MRI scan of the cervical intra-spinal roots. We systematically measured intra-spinal nerve root sizes bilaterally in the transversal plane at C5, C6 and C7 level. We calculated mean nerve root sizes and compared them between study groups and between different clinical phenotypes using a univariate general linear model.
Results
Patients with MMN and CIDP with a motor phenotype had thicker ventral roots compared to patients with CIDP with a sensorimotor phenotype (p = 0.012), while patients with CIDP with a sensory phenotype had thicker dorsal roots compared to patients with a sensorimotor phenotype (p = 0.001) and with MND (p = 0.004).
Conclusion
We here show changes in the morphology of intra-spinal nerve roots in patients with chronic inflammatory neuropathies, compatible with their clinical phenotype.