Link between MRI, clinical exams missing in some MS patients

Recent research shows physical disability and brain lesion volume may not be directly linked in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroimaging, examined MS patients, who show symptoms in many forms, including limited disability many years after diagnosis to severe physical limitations early on. Researchers found a significant minority showed a dissociation between MRI findings and clinical examinations.

“Dissociation may occur between physical disability and cerebral lesion volume in either direction in patients with MS. Type of MS, brain atrophy and spinal cord lesions may help to bridge this dissociation,” said Bakshi, a senior neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and director of the Laboratory for Neuroimaging Research at Boston’s Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center.

Read more about the study's findings here:

""
Nicholas Leider, Managing Editor

Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.

Around the web

The patient, who was being cared for in the ICU, was not accompanied or monitored by nursing staff during his exam, despite being sedated.

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.