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The added value of spinal cord lesions to disability accrual in multiple sclerosis

Ruggieri, Serena; Prosperini, Luca; Petracca, Maria; Logoteta, Alessandra; Tinelli, Emanuele; De Giglio, Laura; Ciccarelli, Olga; ... Pozzilli, Carlo; + view all (2023) The added value of spinal cord lesions to disability accrual in multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neurology 10.1007/s00415-023-11829-5. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

Spinal cord MRI is not routinely performed for multiple sclerosis (MS) monitoring. Here, we explored whether spinal cord MRI activity offers any added value over brain MRI activity for clinical outcomes prediction in MS. This is a retrospective, monocentric study including 830 MS patients who underwent longitudinal brain and spinal cord MRI [median follow-up 7 years (range: < 1–26)]. According to the presence (or absence) of MRI activity defined as at least one new T2 lesion and/or gadolinium (Gd) enhancing lesion, each scan was classified as: (i) brain MRI negative/spinal cord MRI negative; (ii) brain MRI positive/spinal cord MRI negative; (iii) brain MRI negative/spinal cord MRI positive; (iv) brain MRI positive/spinal cord MRI positive. The relationship between such patterns and clinical outcomes was explored by multivariable regression models. When compared with the presence of brain MRI activity alone: (i) Gd + lesions in the spine alone and both in the brain and in the spinal cord were associated with an increased risk of concomitant relapses (OR = 4.1, 95% CI 2.4–7.1, p < 0.001 and OR = 4.9, 95% CI 4.6–9.1, p < 0.001, respectively); (ii) new T2 lesions at both locations were associated with an increased risk of disability worsening (HR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0–2.1, p = 0.05). Beyond the presence of brain MRI activity, new spinal cord lesions are associated with increased risk of both relapses and disability worsening. In addition, 16.1% of patients presented asymptomatic, isolated spinal cord activity (Gd + lesions). Monitoring MS with spinal cord MRI may allow a more accurate risk stratification and treatment optimization.

Type: Article
Title: The added value of spinal cord lesions to disability accrual in multiple sclerosis
Location: Germany
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-11829-5
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-023-11829-5
Language: English
Additional information: © The Author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Keywords: Spinal cord MRI, Disability accrual, Asymptomatic lesions, Treatment optimization
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Neuroinflammation
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10173875
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