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Updated: Feb 26, 2026
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
High risk of early conversion to multiple sclerosis in clinically isolated syndromes with dissemination in space at
Lorenzo Gaetani1, Fulvia Fanelli2, Ilenia Riccucci1
1Dipartimento di Medicina, Clinica Neurologica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
Introduction:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) usually presents at onset with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). According to 2010 McDonald criteria, a diagnosis of MS can be made if CIS patients satisfy clinical/MRI criteria of both dissemination in time (DIT) and space (DIS).
Objective:
The aim of this study was to analyze the follow-up data and possible prognostic factors of CIS patients satisfying DIS MRI criteria.
Patients And Methods:
We performed a retrospective, multicenter study across 2 Italian centers. Clinical, MRI, and laboratory assessments were performed according to real-life clinical workup.
Results:
Out of the 137 enrolled patients, during a median follow-up time of 3.1years, 116 (84.7%) converted to MS with the large majority (78.4%) of the converters developing MS within 1year. In multivariate analysis, baseline predictors of an earlier conversion were a cerebellar/brainstem CIS (HR 2.00, 95% CI: 1.3-3.0, p=0.001) and the presence of all the Barkhof-Tintore MRI criteria (HR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.1-2.6, p=0.028).
Conclusions:
Patients with CIS and DIS are at very high risk of an early conversion to MS. The onset with cerebellar/brainstem symptoms and the evidence of a higher MRI lesion load at baseline are the strongest independent predictors of an early conversion to MS.
