BACKGROUND: Whereas focal and diffuse @entity75 on conventional MRI is seen in @entity1 with @entity12319 ( @entity12319 ), the spinal cord seems to be rarely involved. Diffusion tensor (DT) MRI provides information on the patterns of tissue disruption of the central nervous system, which may go undetected by conventional MRI. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the extent of otherwise "occult" injury of the cervical cord in @entity12319 , and to improve our understanding of its nature. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Conventional and DT MRI scans of the cervical cord and brain were acquired from 11 @entity1 with @entity12319 and 10 healthy controls. Histograms of @entity1893 ( @entity1893 ) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of the cervical cord and brain were analysed. Measures of cervical cord and @entity1010 and focal lesion loads were computed. RESULTS: Only one @entity1 had a single focal lesion of the cord whereas all had multiple @entity75 on conventional MRI scans. Cord and brain volumes did not differ between @entity1 and controls. Mean peak height of the cervical cord @entity1893 histogram (p = 0.0001) and average brain FA (p = 0.001) were significantly lower in @entity1 than in controls. Average cord @entity1893 was correlated with average brain @entity1893 (r = 0.69, p = 0.01) and FA (r = -0.81, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: DT MRI shows mild and otherwise "occult" @entity602 in @entity12319 , which might be secondary to @entity2537 passing trough damaged areas of the brain.

Assessing "occult" cervical XXXX in @entity1 with @entity12319 using diffusion tensor MRI.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity75 :: ('MESH:D001927', 'Disease') :: ['brain lesions', 'brain damage'] @entity602 :: ('MESH:D013118', 'Disease') :: ['cord damage'] @entity2537 :: ('MESH:D020966', 'Disease') :: ['Wallerian degeneration of long tract fibres'] @entity1010 :: ('MESH:C566985', 'Disease') :: ['brain atrophy'] @entity1893 :: ('MESH:D008228', 'Disease') :: ['MD', 'mean diffusivity'] @entity12319 :: ('MESH:D020945', 'Disease') :: ['NSLE', 'neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus']
@entity602 :: (MESH:D013118,Disease) :: ['cord damage']
