Multiple sclerosis: Characterization of lesion evolution in relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

摘要

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, demyelinating disease, in which certain areas of the brain are known to be particularly susceptible to development of white matter lesions. How the spatiotemporal distribution of lesions alters over the disease course is unclear, and formed the focus of a recent study by Kerstin Bendfeldt and colleagues.The study involved 217 patients with MS from two centres, of whom 209 had relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and 62 had secondary progressive MS (SPMS). All patients underwent an MRI scan at baseline and at follow-up (median follow-up time of 25 months), with both T1-weighted images and T2-weighted images being obtained.Lesions observed on T2 imaging are nonspecific regarding histopathology, and may represent areas of inflammation or oedema. Persistence of lesions on T1 imaging can represent areas of severe damage.