CORRELATION BETWEEN BRAIN MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING CHANGES AND CLINICAL PROGRESSION OF AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS

Daniela Ristikj Stomnaroska; Dimitar Veljanovski; Darko Petrovski; Daniela Cvetkovska; Eleonora Lazarova; Angela Aleksovska

Daniela Ristikj Stomnaroska City General Hospital 8th of September, Department of Neurology, Skopje, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Goce Delchev University in Stip, North Macedonia
Dimitar Veljanovski City General Hospital 8th of September, Department of Radiology, Skopje, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje ,North Macedonia
Darko Petrovski Faculty of Medical Sciences, Goce Delchev University, Stip, North Macedonia
Daniela Cvetkovska Faculty of Medical Sciences, Goce Delchev University, Stip, North Macedonia
Eleonora Lazarova Faculty of Medical Sciences, Goce Delchev University, Stip, North Macedonia
Angela Aleksovska Faculty of Medical Sciences, Goce Delchev University, Stip, North Macedonia

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, with clinical symptoms and signs of central and peripheral motor neuron damage. Research objectives: to find a correlation between brain changes verified by magnetic nuclear resonance with the degree of progression of the neurodegenerative disease.Material and methods : A total of 15 patients were included in the study, who underwent a clinical and neurological examination; electromyography, neuroimaging studies (MR of the brain and spinal cord), examination of a panel of paraneoplastic antibodies in order to exclude a paraneoplastic etiology of the disease, and lumbar puncture with cytochemical analysis and electrophoresis of the cerebrospinal fluid.Results: signal changes of the corticospinal tracts were seen in two patients, in whom the clinical picture was dominated by bulbar symptomatology. Conclusion: brain parenchyma changes recorded by the magnetic nuclear resonance are not a specific indicator of disease progression.

Keywords: magnetic resonance imaging, amiotrophic lateral sclerosis.

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