title: Spinal cord MRI using multi-array coils and fast spin echo. II. Findings in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: We performed MRI of brain and spinal cord on 80 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Using multi-array coils and fast spin echo, 139 intrinsic lesions were identified in 59 patients (74%). Lesions were more common in the cervical than in the thoracic cord. Cross-sectional areas of the cord, measured from axial images at four levels, showed atrophy in 40%. Clinical disability correlated with cord atrophy but not with cord lesion load. These results show that the use of multi-array coils and fast spin echo allows rapid and sensitive detection of spinal cord lesions in MS and that the cord is involved in the majority of patients. A lack of association between cord lesions and disability may relate to limitations in MR resolution but also suggests that the mechanisms of disability in MS are complex and multifactorial.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, National Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kidd
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Thorpe
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: I F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Moseley
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: MacManus
authors.forename: W I
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009333:Neck; D012008:Recurrence; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D013909:Thorax