Neuroimaging clinics of North America
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2009
ReviewProton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in multiple sclerosis.
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) provides tissue metabolic information in vivo. This article reviews the role of MRS-determined metabolic alterations in lesions, normal-appearing white matter, gray matter, and spinal cord in advancing our knowledge of pathologic changes in multiple sclerosis (MS). In addition, the role of MRS in objectively evaluating therapeutic efficacy is reviewed. This potential metabolic information makes MRS a unique tool to follow MS disease evolution, understand its pathogenesis, evaluate the disease severity, establish a prognosis, and objectively evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2009
ReviewSpinal-cord MRI in multiple sclerosis: conventional and nonconventional MR techniques.
Multiple sclerosis is a diffuse disease of the central nervous system, and MRI of the spinal cord is highly recommended in the clinical evaluation of patients suspected of having multiple sclerosis. Within the new diagnostic criteria, spinal cord MRI increases sensitivity and possibly specificity for MS, but further work is needed to investigate other criteria that may give greater weight to the presence of cord lesions in patients with clinically isolated syndromes or suspected relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Techniques should be further studied and validated in studies comparing these techniques with clinical status and histopathology, however.