Exploring Spinal Cord Changes in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Using MRI

Abstract

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.