Diffusion tensor and magnetization transfer MR imaging of early-onset multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with the onset of symptoms typically occurring between the age of 20 and 40 years. However, in about 3% to 12% of the cases, the onset of the disease is before 16 years of age. This review summarizes the main results obtained by the application of conventional and non-conventional MRI techniques to the assessment of patients with early-onset MS, which showed that the overall amount of CNS damage in these subjects is mild, compared to that typically detected in the adult-form of the disease. This fits with the notion that an early onset of the disease is associated with a more favourable clinical evolution.