All subjects were scanned on a Siemens 3T Skyra scanner with a 20-channel neck-head coil and a
32-channel spine coil within two weeks of their clinical examination. Axial 2D-PSIR images were acquired perpendicular to the spinal cord at the C2/C3 intervertebral disc level (
Figure 1) with a total scan time of less than 2 min. Acquisition parameters: in-plane resolution = 0.78 × 0.78 mm
2, slice thickness = 5 mm, matrix 256 × 256, TR = 4000ms, TE = 3.22ms, TI = 400ms, angle 10°, 3 averages. To minimize neck movement during the examination, each subject was provided with an MR-compatible cervical collar
16 (link) and special care was taken to position the patient comfortably.
In addition, the participants underwent a standard high-resolution T1-weighted image of the brain (MPRAGE, sagittal acquisition, 1 mm
3 cubic voxel, TR: 2300ms, TE: 2.98ms, TI: 900ms, angle 9°), a 3D FLAIR of the brain (sagittal acquisition, 1mm
3 cubic voxel, TR: 5000ms, TE: 389ms, TI 1800ms), and standard T2-weighted sagittal images of the cervical cord (0.72 × 0.72 mm
2, slice thickness = 1.2 mm, FOV = 230 × 230 mm
2, TR: 5280ms, TE: 85ms) and thoracic cord (0.68 × 0.68 mm
2, slice thickness = 2 mm, FOV = 300 × 300mm
2, TR: 4290ms, TE: 90ms) as well as T2-weighted axial images of the cervical cord (0.62 × 0.62 mm
2, slice thickness = 3 mm, TR: 4000ms, TE: 92ms).
Schlaeger R., Papinutto N., Panara V., Bevan C., Lobach I.V., Bucci M., Caverzasi E., Gelfand J.M., Green A.J., Jordan K.M., Stern W.A., von Büdingen H.C., Waubant E., Zhu A.H., Goodin D.S., Cree B.A., Hauser S.L, & Henry R.G. (2014). Spinal cord gray matter atrophy correlates with multiple sclerosis disability. Annals of neurology, 76(4), 568-580.