[Relaxation-time measurements of the white and gray substances in multiple sclerosis patients].

: In a patient population of some 450 with definite, probable, and possible multiple sclerosis referred to us for MRI, some 40 suffering from definite MS were chosen randomly for relaxation time measurements of plaque-free grey and white matter. T1 values could not be used for diagnostic purposes owing to their broad standard deviation. Overall white matter T2 was slightly higher in MS patients than in a non-MS population (94 ms versus 89 ms). Because these changes are not visible in MR images, relaxation time measurements may prove valuable for differential diagnosis.