Radiomics evaluation of superficial and deep gray matter's atrophy of the brain parenchyma in patients with chronic MS in comparison with normal individuals

Abstract

Atrophy in multiple sclerosis is often thought to be due to extensive axonal destruction and demyelination. In multiple sclerosis, brain atrophy is very extensive, but it occurs naturally at approximately 0.5-1.35% per year in a normal person. Brain atrophy occurs early in the course of the disease and accelerates as the disease progresses. The aim of this study is to radiomics evaluation of superficial and deep gray matter's atrophy of the brain parenchyma in patients with chronic MS in comparison with normal individuals. Materials and Methods: This research was a case-control study and patients referred to Imam Reza Hospital of Tabriz in 2023, whose clinical and paraclinical diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) was definite, and at least two years had passed since the onset of the disease and were treated with interferon, were included in the study. In this study, 54 patients were examined, 18 (33.3%) were in the normal group and 36 (66.6%) were in the MS group. Sampling was available by method. After obtaining the consent of the patients, they were referred to the radiologist colleague of the project and after obtaining the necessary information in the questionnaire, the DCOM file design of the last MRI images of the patients was obtained and after recording the information of these images, their files were subjected to radiomix examinations and the results were examined by the radiologist of the plan and the obtained results were recorded, and finally the atrophy rate and decrease in the volume of superficial and deep gray matter was measured in comparison with normal matched individuals. In order to quantitatively analyze the volume of brain structures, Freesurfer version 7 software was used. Results: In this study, among the radiomix variables of superficial and deep parenchymal gray matter atrophy,only the atrophy rate of the right (P=0.035) and left (P=0.002) thalamus nucleus was significantly higher in patients with chronic multiple sclerosis than in normal subjects; While the variables of the atrophy rate of superfacial cortical gray matter,deep gray matter,left and right caudate nucleus,left and right putamen nucleus and left and right globus pallidus nucleus of the brain, there was no significant difference between the two groups of chronic multiple sclerosis patients and normal subjects (P>0.05).