Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple
sclerosis: Guidelines from the International Panel
on the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis
The
International Panel on MS Diagnosis presents
revised diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis
(MS). The focus remains on the objective
demonstration of dissemination of lesions in both
time and space. Magnetic resonance imaging is
integrated with clinical and other paraclinical
diagnostic methods. The revised criteria
facilitate the diagnosis of MS in patients with a
variety of presentations, including
monosymptomatic disease suggestive of MS, disease
with a typical relapsing-remitting course, and
disease with insidious progression, without clear
attacks and remissions. Previously used terms such
as clinically definite and probable MS are no
longer recommended. The outcome of a diagnostic
evaluation is either MS, possible MS (for those at
risk for MS, but for whom diagnostic evaluation is
equivocal), or not MS.
W. Ian McDonald, FRCP, Alistair Compston, FRCP,
Gilles Edan, MD, Donald Goodkin, Hans-Peter
Hartung, MD, Fred D. Lublin, MD, Henry F.
McFarland, MD, Donald W. Paty, MD, Chris H.
Polman, MD, Stephen C. Reingold, PhD, Magnhild
Sandberg-Wollheim, MD, William Sibley, MD, Alan
Thompson, MD, Stanley Van Den Noort, MD, Brian Y.
Weinshenker, MD, Jerry S. Wolinsky, MD. Annals of
Neurology forthcoming articles.
