Limitations of MRI in Multiple Sclerosis

Caution needed over role of MRI in diagnosing multiple sclerosis

"Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on its own has limited ability to rule out or confirm a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in patients with a single attack of neurological dysfunction. Whiting and colleagues conducted a systematic review of 29 studies that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for multiple sclerosis. Most studies were of poor quality and had short term follow-up. Even when MRI showed many lesions, it could not accurately confirm multiple sclerosis. Similarly, the absence of lesions could not accurately rule out the diagnosis."

Reference-
BMJ 2006;332 (15 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7546.0