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February 1, 1996

Serial gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the brain and spinal cord in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

J. W. Thorpe, MRCP, D. Kidd, MRCP, I. F. Moseley, FRCR, B. E. Kendall, FRCR, A. J. Thompson, FRCP, D. G. MacManus, DCR, W. I. McDonald, FRCP, and D. H. Miller, FRCPAuthors Info & Affiliations
February 1996 issue
46 (2) 373-378
https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.46.2.373
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Abstract

Although serial MRI studies of the brain in relapsing-remitting MS have demonstrated frequent asymptomatic disease activity, less is known about the spinal cord. We carried out monthly gadolinium-enhanced brain and spinal cord MRI scans over 1 year in 10 patients with relapsing-remitting MS. Six of the patients had a total of 11 clinical relapses, eight of which involved the spinal cord. A total of 167 active (enhancing or new nonenhancing) lesions in the brain and 19 in the spinal cord were present. Only one active brain lesion was symptomatic compared with six spinal cord lesions. Overall, one-third of new spinal cord lesions were symptomatic, and three-quarters of clinical spinal cord relapses were associated with a new MRI lesion in a location appropriate to the symptoms. Activity in both the spinal cord and brain was more common around the time of relapse. There was a strong association between the spinal cord and brain MRI activity. We did not detect progressive spinal cord atrophy from measurements of a spinal cord cross-sectional area. We conclude that, in relapsing-remitting MS, imaging of the brain alone will detect 90% of active lesions; spinal cord MRI using current technology will therefore provide only modest gains in treatment trials in which lesion activity is the primary outcome measure. The lack of progressive spinal cord atrophy in these patients, suggesting that significant axonal loss has not occurred, is in keeping with their good recovery after relapse. That brain and spinal cord lesions occur concurrently implies a systemic trigger for disease activity.
NEUROLOGY 1996;46: 373-378.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Neurology®
Volume 46 • Number 2 • February 1996
Pages: 373-378

Copyright

Copyright 1996 by Advanstar Communications Inc.

Publication History

Published online: February 1, 1996
Published in print: February 1996

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Authors

Affiliations & Disclosures

From the NMR Research Unit, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, England.
The work of the NMR Research Group is made possible by a generous grant from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. JT is funded by the Medical Research Council. The spinal multi-array coil was kindly provided by GE Medical Systems.
Received November 22, 1994. Accepted in final form June 15, 1995.
Address correspondence to Dr Miller, NMR Research Unit, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WCIN 3BG, England.

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