Journal of Saveh University of Medical Sciences

Comparison of (DWI) Diffusion-weighted imagingand (CE-SWI) contrast enhanced susceptibility weighted imaging in the diagnosis active multiple sclerosis plaques

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

fahime dehghanizade baghdad abad 1
Mohammad Sobhan 2
Fatemeh Asadollahi 2
Fatemeh Sefidkar 3
Sahar Razavi Mehr 1

1 Department of Radiology, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

2 Department of Radiology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Biostatistics, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

10.22034/sumsj.2026.579309.1082
Abstract
Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects the brain and spinal cord. MRI plays a key role in early diagnosis, treatment planning, and prognosis. The aim of this article is to compare diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection of active MS plaques.
Method: Forty-nine patients with MS (32 women, 17 men; mean age (28±6 years) were examined using a 1.5 Tesla MRI system. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences (IR.SSU.REC.1403.108). CE-SWI and DWI sequences were obtained. Active plaques detected by both sequences were recorded and analyzed.
Results: A total of 169 lesions were observed. CE-SWI detected 87 (51.4%) active plaques, while DWI detected 82 (48.5%). Cohen's kappa coefficient showed moderate agreement between the two methods (kappa = 0.38, p<0.001).
Conclusion: CE-SWI and DWI sequences showed comparable performance for identifying active MS plaques. CE-SWI provides additional information about vascular involvement and iron deposition and complements DWI in clinical evaluation.

Keywords

Active MS plaques
DWI
CE-SW
Journal of Saveh University of Medical Sciences

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 25 May 2026

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