Rate of ventricular enlargement in multiple sclerosis: A nine-year magnetic resonance imaging follow-up study

Background: In multiple sclerosis (MS), brain atrophy assessed by linear measurements of ventricular widths has been reported to be well correlated with three-dimensional (3D) measurements. Therefore, serial linear measurements with no need for advanced 3D evaluation may be proven to be robust markers of irreversible, destructive changes. Purpose: To evaluate the rate of supratentorial ventricular enlargement representing four decades of disease span. Material and Methods: 37 MS patients with disease duration at baseline ranging from 1 to 33 years were included. The mean time of the individual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) follow-up was 9.25 years (range 7.3-10 years). Enlargement rate of the third and lateral ventricles was studied over time by applying three linear measurements on axial 5-mm T1-weighted MRI images. Results: Progression of supratentorial ventricular widths during 9 years' follow-up was found. The mean annual width increase of the third ventricle was 0.20mm(P<0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.15-0.25), for the frontal horn width 0.32mm(P<0.001, 95% CI 0.23-0.40), and increase of the intercaudate distance was 0.26 mm (P<0.001, 95% CI 0.19-0.33). The association between these three measurements and disability status persisted at the time of follow-up. Conclusion: We found uniform ventricular enlargement progression during four decades of disease span, suggesting unchanging total brain atrophy progression over time.