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Multiple sclerosis: specificity of MR for diagnosis
F Z Yetkin1, V M Haughton, R A Papke
1Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Milwaukee, WI 53226.
Radiology
|February 1, 1991
Summary
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging shows high specificity (95%-99%) for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS). However, incidental white matter findings may pose a small risk of misdiagnosis in MR studies.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for multiple sclerosis (MS) requires systematic evaluation.
- Conventional MR techniques are widely used but their specificity in MS diagnosis needs quantification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically measure the specificity of conventional magnetic resonance (MR) head imaging in diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS).
- To assess the impact of demographic information on MR-based MS diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Conventional MR head images (sagittal localizer, axial multiple-echo sequences) were acquired from 92 MS patients and 260 controls (healthy, hypertension, dementia).
- Two independent readers classified studies as MS or non-MS, first without and then with clinical/demographic data.
- True-negative and true-positive rates were calculated to determine specificity.
Main Results:
- The specificity of MR imaging for MS diagnosis ranged from 95% to 99% across all control groups.
- Reader performance improved slightly with the addition of age and sex information.
- A small potential for misinterpreting incidental periventricular white matter lesions as MS plaques was noted.
Conclusions:
- Conventional MR head imaging demonstrates high specificity for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS).
- While generally accurate, careful interpretation is needed to avoid misdiagnosis due to incidental findings.
- MR imaging remains a valuable tool in the diagnostic workup of suspected MS.