Spinal Cord Imaging at Clinical Isolated Syndrome Presentation

Spinal cord imaging at a first demyelinating event is recommended for spinal cord presentations and when the diagnosis is unclear. However, the independent value of such imaging is unclear. Investigators evaluated 207 patients presenting with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) who underwent spinal cord imaging. A sagittal T2/short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) sequence was acquired for the entire spine, with axial views where T2 lesions were observed or clinically suspected. Mean follow-up was 3 years.

Of the 207 patients, 64 had spinal cord presentations, 78% of whom had a spinal cord abnormality, and 143 had non–spinal cord presentations, 30% of whom had an abnormality. Presence of spinal cord lesions significantly increased the adjusted…