Distribution of White Matter Lesions in Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

To evaluate the ability of brain MRI SE sequences to differentiate between SLE and MS we reviewed the brain scans of 30 SLE patients (30 female, mean age 38.5 +/-12 years) and of 30 definite MS patients (23 female, 7 male, mean age 35.5 +/- 8 years).We analyzed the number and location of white matter lesions (WML) and classified them in different regions. We also pointed out associated brain abnormalities, such as large hemispheric lesions. We found periventricular, paraventricular and subcortical WML in MS and paraventricular and subcortical WML in SLE; a confluent pattern of WML was seen only in MS; infratentorial WML were more frequent in MS; corpus callosum involvement was found only in MS; large hemispheric areas of increased signal representing strokes were present only in SLE. MRI shows different lesion patterns in MS and SLE and may play an important role in the differential diagnosis between these diseases.