Spinal cord MRI using multi-array coils and fast spin echo. II. Findings in multiple sclerosis.
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.
Kidd
D
D
Institute of Neurology, National Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
Thorpe
J W
JW
Thompson
A J
AJ
Kendall
B E
BE
Moseley
I F
IF
MacManus
D G
DG
McDonald
W I
WI
Miller
D H
DH
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