Tumefactive demyelination associated with developmental venous anomaly: Report of two cases

Developmental venous anomalies in patients with multiple sclerosis: is that a coincidence or an ancillary finding?

PURPOSE

Developmental venous anomalies (DVAs) have been found to be more prevalent in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of the study was to compare the prevalence of DVAs in a large population of patients with MS compared with controls and to investigate the correlation of 3D Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) hyperintense signal abnormalities adjacent to DVAs between MS patients and controls having DVAs, as well as DVA potential role in differential diagnosis.

METHODS

Between January 2001 and December 2019, 349 patients who met the McDonald criteria for MS diagnosis (249 females, 100 males, age range 18-70 years) were retrospectively included in the study. All patients and 340 age-matched healthy controls had brain MRIs performed on a 1.5 Tesla MR system. Two radiologists reviewed all images to identify DVAs; their presence was compared between the MS and control groups. Among the subjects having DVAs, age, gender, adjacent FLAIR anomalies, and DVA location were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Fifty (14.3%) out 349 patients presented 51 DVAs (35 supratentorial and 16 infratentorial), in comparison to 21/340 (6.2%) controls (P = 0.0005). One patient showed 2 simultaneous DVAs, while 3 patients had coexisting pontine capillary telangiectasias. FLAIR white matter changes adjacent to DVAs were found in 46.2% of patients and in 28.1% of controls (P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

DVAs demonstrated a higher prevalence in the MS group in comparison to controls. We confirmed the association between DVAs and FLAIR anomalies in MS patients. However, currently there are no evidences that the presence of DVAs may be used in MS differential diagnosis.

Role of developmental venous anomalies in etiopathogenesis of demyelinating diseases

OBJECTIVE

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. T2W-hyperintense demyelinating lesions are detected in cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Developmental venous anomalies (DVAs) have frequently been detected in enhanced cranial MRI images, and are generally accepted as normal variants of venous development. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether there was an association between demyelinating diseases and venous anomalies.

METHODS

One hundred five patients who were diagnosed as having MS in accordance with the McDonald diagnostic criteria, and 105 patients who were diagnosed as having vascular headache who had no lesions similar to MS were included in the present retrospective study.

RESULTS

DVAs were detected in 31 of the study group and in 14 patients in the control group. A statistically significant higher rate of DVAs and abnormal signal increase in the neighboring tissue was detected in the study group (p = 0.004) (p = 0.006). The DVA was superficially localized in the RRMS, It was deeply located in RIS.

CONCLUSION

Recent studies have emphasized the association of the central vein and the lesion severity of MS with the detection of the central collecting vein in MS lesions. In our study, DVAs, which are generally regarded as innocent developmental anomalies, and neighboring signal increase were found significantly higher in the MS group compared with the control group. The role of DVAs in the etiology of demyelinating lesions must be clarified through comprehensive future studies that use more advanced techniques.

The Central Vein: FLAIR Signal Abnormalities Associated with Developmental Venous Anomalies in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Demyelination is a recently recognized cause of FLAIR hyperintensities associated with developmental venous anomalies. Our purpose was to quantify the prevalence of white matter signal abnormalities associated with developmental venous anomalies in patients with multiple sclerosis compared with controls.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective, blinded, multireader study compared the prevalence of FLAIR hyperintense signal abnormalities adjacent to developmental venous anomalies in patients with MS compared with controls (patients with developmental venous anomalies without MS). Study findings were positive if a central vein was demonstrated using FLAIR and contrast-enhanced fat-saturated T1 sequences. Imaging parameters also included developmental venous anomaly location, developmental venous anomaly drainage, white matter lesion size, and depth of white matter lesions. Clinical parameters included age, sex, and the presence of confounding variables (hypertension, diabetes, migraines, and/or vasculopathy).

RESULTS

FLAIR signal abnormality was present around 47.3% (35/74) of developmental venous anomalies in patients with MS, and 13.5% (10/74) of developmental venous anomalies in the control group (P < .001). The multivariate logistic regression model controlling for covariates (including migraines, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, vasculopathy, age, sex, and drainage direction of developmental venous anomalies) showed that the odds of FLAIR hyperintensity around developmental venous anomalies was 6.7-fold higher in patients with MS (relative risk MS = 6.68; 95% CI, 2.79-15.97; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The association of developmental venous anomalies and FLAIR hyperintensities was more common in patients with MS, which suggests that the underlying demyelinating pathologic process of MS may be the cause of this propensity in patients with MS. Impaired venous drainage in the territory of developmental venous anomalies may predispose to development of these lesions, and an associated central vein is helpful in understanding an atypical location of MS plaques.