title: Low incidence of asymptomatic contrast-enhancing brain lesions in Japanese patients with multiple sclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The number of contrast-enhancing brain lesions is used as an endpoint in multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical trials. However, the incidence of asymptomatic contrast-enhancing brain lesions (AEBLs) in Japanese patients with MS has not been determined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the number of AEBLs per scan in Japanese patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the medical records of 23 Japanese patients with RRMS who showed (1) a stable or improving condition for at least 30 days before a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination and (2) at least one relapse in the preceding year or two relapses in the preceding 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of patients with AEBLs was 39.1% (9/23 patients) and the number of AEBLs per scan was 0.37.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the disease activity shown by brain MRI was lower in Japanese patients with MS compared with that in Caucasian patients.
authors.affiliation: MS Center, Utano National Hospital, Kyoto, Japan. tanaka@unh.hosp.go.jp
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tahara
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000473:pathology*