The Relationship Between Brain MR Spectroscopy and Disability in Multiple Sclerosis: 20-Year Data from the US Glatiramer Acetate Extension Study

摘要

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Conventional MRI techniques do not necessarily provide information about multiple sclerosis (MS) disease pathology or progression. Nonconventional MRI techniques, including proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1-MRS), are increasingly used to improve the qualitative and quantitative specificity of MR images. This study explores potential correlations between MRI measures of disease and disability progression as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Functional Systems (FS), and ambulation index scores in a unique cohort of MS patients treated with glatiramer acetate that has been closely monitored for over 20 years.