Alrehaili Amani A, Faizo Nahla L, Alsulimani Batool M, Alsulimani Raghad K, Aldwaila Dana A, Alqarni Nada J, Faizo Nisreen Lutfi
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia;
NeuroSci. 2024 Mar 12;5(1):87-97. doi: 10.3390/neurosci5010006. eCollection 2024 Mar.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS). The diagnosis of MS is based on clinical signs and symptoms as well as findings in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences by demonstrating the spatial and temporal dispersion of white matter lesions, which are thought to be typical of MS in distribution, shape, extent, and signal abnormalities. Spinal cord MRI can identify asymptomatic lesions and rule out malignancies or spinal stenosis in patients for whom brain imaging is not helpful in making an MS diagnosis. This study examines the MRI features of Saudi Arabian patients clinically proven to have MS with typical lesions exclusively evident in the spinal cord. This retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out in 151 patients who are confirmed cases of MS based on clinical findings and MRI results. Patients' MRI data were reviewed from the picture archiving and communication system (PACS). The study revealed that MS incidence was higher in females than males and that the number of people diagnosed with MS increased in middle age. Cervical cord plaques and cervical cord curve straightening were the most frequent changes (67% and 56%, respectively), indicating that MRI can complement and even replace clinical data in MS diagnosis, leading to earlier, more precise diagnoses and speedier starts to treatment.
多发性硬化症（MS）是一种影响中枢神经系统（CNS）的自身免疫性疾病。MS的诊断基于临床体征和症状以及磁共振成像（MRI）序列的检查结果，通过显示白质病变的空间和时间离散情况来判断，这些病变在分布、形状、范围和信号异常方面被认为是MS的典型特征。脊髓MRI可以识别无症状病变，并排除脑部成像对MS诊断无助的患者中的恶性肿瘤或脊髓狭窄。本研究调查了经临床证实患有MS且典型病变仅在脊髓中明显可见的沙特阿拉伯患者的MRI特征。这项回顾性横断面研究对151名基于临床发现和MRI结果确诊为MS的患者进行。患者的MRI数据从图像存档与通信系统（PACS）中进行了回顾。研究表明，女性MS发病率高于男性，且被诊断为MS的人数在中年时有所增加。颈髓斑块和颈髓曲度变直是最常见的变化（分别为67%和56%），这表明MRI在MS诊断中可以补充甚至取代临床数据，从而实现更早、更精确的诊断并更快地开始治疗。
