Early Detection for Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system and usually begins in young adulthood, but can be found at any age. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) plays a very important role in early detection of MS and is also revolutionary (much better than a CAT scan) in the ability to detect changes and damage that happen in the spinal cord and brain due to the disease.

MRI produces photos by using a large magnet, radio waves and a computer to produce images without X-rays. While it is the best way to diagnose the disease, there are still nearly 5 percent of MS sufferers who do not have lesions and do not show abnormalities on their MRI, making it less than perfect in detection and leaving negative results uncertain.

Recently, neurologists at the University hospitals of Heidelburge and Würzburg in Germany found a way to recognize inflammatory tissue damage in animals with MS using a new contrast medium in MRI – Gadofluorine M. For their study, they examined the spinal cords and brains of animals at varying stages of multiple sclerosis with both MRI and MRI with gadofluorine M.

Amazingly enough, they found that they were able to visualize 5 to 10 times more inflammation and lesions with gadofluorine M, in contrast to conventional MRI.

They are currently speculating that gadofluorine M accumulates in lesions in higher concentrations, therefore helping it to bring more MS lesions into vision.

The results of the animal-based tests are exciting for the medical community. Early detection will lead to early treatment, and early treatment will have a very positive effect for those with the disease.

For now, the tests were only held using animals, not humans, and there needs to be quite a bit more testing to get the new contrast medium approved for clinical practice. Further tests are being planned – preclinical and clinical – to determine whether on not it can be approved and hopefully, change the face of MS diagnosis, detection and treatment.




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