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The authors studied whether testing for oligoclonal bands in patients presenting with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of multiple sclerosis adds information to MRI in predicting a second attack and development of disability. Of 572 patients with CIS prospectively enrolled, 415 underwent MRI and CSF analysis within 3 months of CIS presentation and were followed for a mean of 50 months. Time to second attack and time to Expanded Disability Status Scale score of 3.0 were recorded, as were the presence or absence of oligoclonal bands and MRI abnormalities according to the Barkhof criteria (BC).
Compared with patients with no BC, patients with one to two BC had a hazard ratio (HR) for conversion to clinically definite MS of 3.8 (9…