Neurol Neurochir Pol
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Neurol Neurochir Pol · May 2007
Demyelinating lesions in the cervical cord in multiple sclerosis 10 years after onset of the disease. Correlation between MRI parameters and clinical course.
Demyelinating lesions in spinal cord in multiple sclerosis (MS) are found in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 47-90% of patients; spinal cord atrophy, however, which is a measure of axonal loss and correlates with disability, is found in 13-41% of patients. Presence and character of lesions depend on the duration and progression of the disease. The aim of this study was to estimate the presence, character and location of lesions and cervical cord atrophy in MRI performed 10 years after the onset of MS in relation to the clinical course. ⋯ Presence and character of demyelinating lesions in cervical cord ten years after onset of MS is significantly related to the clinical form of the disease. The mid-cervical region of the spinal cord appeared to be the commonest location of the focal lesions. Cervical cord atrophy was more frequent in patients with PPMS and SPMS, but it was not accompanied with intrinsic focal cord lesions.