THURSDAY, Nov. 10, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Newly published expert guidelines in treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) are putting a stronger focus on MRI in the diagnosis of the disease.
"A series of studies performed during the last few years, with improved techniques for spinal cord MRI, shows that it is a powerful tool not only to diagnose MS lesions, but also to exclude alternative diagnoses," panel chairman Dr. Chris H. Polman of the Free University Medical Center in Amsterdam, Holland, said in a prepared statement.
He and his colleagues also concluded that only two, rather than three, separate MRI scans are needed to evaluate whether a patient's MS is progressing.
"We hope, and trust, that these revisions will allow an even earlier diagnosis of MS, without any loss of diagnostic accuracy," Polman said. The guidelines, updated by an international panel of neurologists, were published in the Nov. 10 online issue of the Annals of Neurology.
"The changes in diagnostic criteria for primary progressive multiple sclerosis is particularly helpful," Dr. Robert P. Lisak, chairman of the American Neurological Associations' public information committee, said in a prepared statement. "The ability to make the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis early and accurately is important for both patient care and for clinical research including clinical trials of new treatments."
More information
The American Medical Association has more about MS.
