Magnetic resonance in multiple sclerosis.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging was performed in more than 200 patients with clinical suspicion or knowledge of Multiple Sclerosis. One hundred and forty-seven (60 males and 87 females) had MR evidence of multiple sclerosis lesions. The MR signal of demyelinating plaques characteristically has prolonged T1 and T2 relaxation times and the T2-weighted spin-echo sequences are generally superior to the T1-weighted images because the lesions are better visualized as areas of increased signal intensity. MR is also able to detect plaques in the brainstem, cerebellum and within the cervical spinal cord. MR appears to be an important, non-invasive method for the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and has proven to be diagnostically superior to CT, evoked potentials (EP) and CSF examination. In a selected group of 30 patients, with the whole battery of the relevant MS studies, MR was positive in 100%, CT in 33.3%, EP in 56% and CSF examination in 60%. In patients clinically presenting only with signs of spinal cord involvement or optic neuritis or when the clinical presentation is uncertain MR has proven to be a very useful diagnostic tool for diagnosis of MS by demonstrating unsuspected lesions in the cerebral hemispheres.