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. 2016 Jun 6;126(7):2597–2609. doi: 10.1172/JCI86198

Figure 2. Centripetal lesions: persistent versus transient phase rim during follow-up.

Figure 2

(A) Persistent phase rim after enhancement resolution: Eighteen-month longitudinal evolution of a centripetally enhancing MS lesion with phase rim at 7T MRI in a 49-year-old woman with secondary progressive MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale 5.5, disease duration 19 years). (i) Postcontrast T1-weighted images capture the shift from centrifugal enhancement at baseline to centripetal enhancement at M1. When the lesion enhances centripetally, a hypointense rim on noncontrast phase images colocalizes with initial opening of the blood-brain barrier in peripheral vessels. (ii) After resolution of enhancement (M3, M6, M12, and M18), the rim persists on phase images (red arrows) and appears also on T2*-weighted magnitude images at M6, M12, and M18. (B) Transient phase rim after enhancement resolution: Twelve-month longitudinal evolution of a centripetally enhancing MS lesion with phase rim at 3T and 7T MRI in a 38-year-old woman with relapsing-remitting MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale 1.5, disease duration 6 years). In this case, as well, a hypointense rim can be discerned at baseline on the noncontrast phase images (red arrows); however, the rim disappears in the months following enhancement resolution. §Scans acquired at 3T MRI. Scale bar: 10 mm.