Multiple Sclerosis Normal Cervical Spine Mri
Practice essentials magnetic resonance imaging mri was first used to visualize multiple sclerosis ms in the upper cervical spine in the late 1980s.
Multiple sclerosis normal cervical spine mri. Observations on the presented cervical spine mr exam when combined with the previous exam confirm this diagnosis. An mri result that says things are normal does not absolutely rule out multiple sclerosis. 1 s spinal ms is often associated with. Due predominantly to receiver coil design and intrinsic anatomy brain lesions in ms are easiest to identify followed by those in the cervical cord with the poorest imaged area being the thoracic spine.
The most effective and non invasive way to determine if a person has ms is to scan for brain and spinal cord lesions using magnetic resonance imaging mri. Disease related changes in the brain or spinal cord are detected by. Multiple lesions in different regions of the brain but also in time. The spinal cord may be enlarged when the disease is active and is atrophied when chronic.
Lesions are usually the most telling. Spinal ms lesions often occur in the cervical region and less frequently in the lower thoracic spinal cord t7 12 depending on their age ms plaques appear normal or slightly hypointense on t1 weighted images and hyperintense on t2. In its classical form patients with devic s neuromyelitis optica have severe episodes of optic neuritis and transverse myelitis with variable recovery longitudinally extensive spinal cord mri lesions normal brain mri and a moderate to pronounced csf pleocytosis without oligoclonal bands. In multiple sclerosis ms by definition lesions are separated in space and time.
Mri stands for magnetic resonance imaging mri can reveal telltale areas of damage called lesions or plaques on. About 5 of people with multiple sclerosis don t have lesions in the brain that show up on the test.