title: Contributions of neuroimaging to diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Recent advances in magnetic resonance neuroimaging have resulted in an increased ability to distinguish acute, potentially reversible lesions from chronic, irreversible lesions in multiple sclerosis. Refinements of magnetic resonance imaging techniques, such as fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, diffusion imaging, and magnetization transfer imaging, as well as magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, are providing increased sensitivity and allowing detection of changes in multiple sclerosis white matter that appears normal on standard spin-echo magnetic resonance images. Increased neuroimaging specificity and sensitivity enhance the ability to diagnose, monitor, and understand the progression of multiple sclerosis. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging detect metabolites in vivo and have even greater potential for elucidating the biochemical pathology of demyelination in multiple sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: University of California at San Francisco.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Husted
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity