Lateral Geniculate Nucleus Volume Assessed by 7 Tesla MRI 3D MT-Weighted SILENT Protocol in Patients with STARGARDT Disease—Pilot Study

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> To quantitatively assess lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) volume using 7 Tesla MRI in patients with Stargardt disease (STGD). <b>Methods:</b> A total of 18 patients with STGD and 15 healthy volunteers were examined with a 7 Tesla MRI of the brain. Measures of LGN volume were performed manually by three independent investigators (radiologists) using ITK-SNAP software, version 4.0.0-rc.2. The volume of the thalamus was evaluated using the open-source automated software package FreeSurfer. Before 7 Tesla MRI, patients underwent ophthalmic examination and 1.5 Tesla MRI. <b>Results:</b> The average LGN volume in both hemispheres was significantly smaller in patients with STGD (right, -111.2 mm³; left, 107.4 mm³) than in the control group (right, -128.7 mm³; left, 123.6 mm³, respectively) (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). The ratio of LGN to thalamus in the right hemisphere was significantly lower (<i>p</i> = 0.024) in the group of patients with STGD (0.014) than in the control group (0.017). <b>Conclusions:</b> The right and left LGN volumes in MR 7T imaging, as well as the right LGN/thalamus ratio, were reduced in patients with STGD compared to controls. 7T MRI using the 3D MT-weighted SILENT protocol provides new insight into structural changes in the brain in retinal dystrophies and offers a possible marker of the response to future therapies in STGD.