What's on this Page
How can MRI be used to diagnose Multiple Sclerosis?
Because of its sensitivity and noninvasive nature, MRI is the best test to confirm the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.
The inflammatory demyelinated lesions, or plaques, are visualized quite well on MRI.
The drawback to MRI is its lack of specificity.
The scattered subcortical periventricular white matter abnormalities that characterize Multiple Sclerosis may occur in various other settings, including cerebrovascular disease, vasculitis, migraine, hypertension, and in some subjects who appear to be normal.
For this reason, reliance strictly on MRI may lead to overdiagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.
Sources
Frohman EM, Goodin DS, Calabresi PA, Corboy JR, Coyle PK, Filippi M, et al.: The utility of MRI in suspected MS. Neurology 61(5):602-611, 2003.
