Diffusion-weighted MR Imaging in the evaluation of normal appearing white matter in patients with tuberous sclerosis

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to assess the presence of changes in diffusivity in the brains of patients with tuberous sclerosis (TS) in areas free from signal alterations on conventional MR sequences. Ten patients and controls were evaluated. ROI were placed on ADC maps in the white matter (frontal, parietal and centrum semiovale) excluding areas with signal alterations on FLAIR images. ADC values of supratentorial white matter turned out to be higher than controls (P < .0001). Our data indicate that TS is more widely diffused than expected in the brains of affected patients