Related Experiment Videos
Primary lateral sclerosis. A clinical diagnosis reemerges
D S Younger1, S Chou, A P Hays
1Department of Neurology, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York 10032-3784.
Archives of Neurology
|December 1, 1988
Summary
Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is now a permissible clinical diagnosis. Modern technology can exclude other conditions, making PLS diagnosis more reliable.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Clinical Diagnosis
- Neurodegenerative Disorders
Background:
- Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) is a rare, slowly progressive motor neuron disorder.
- Historically, PLS has been a diagnosis of exclusion, confirmed only by autopsy.
- Clinical presentation often involves corticospinal tract signs without other obvious abnormalities.
Observation:
- This study examined autopsy-proven PLS cases and clinically diagnosed patients.
- Advanced diagnostic technologies were used to exclude mimic disorders with high accuracy.
- Two cases with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) seropositivity mimicking PLS were also included.
Findings:
- Modern diagnostic techniques can exclude alternative conditions, such as compressive lesions, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with approximately 95% accuracy.
- Comprehensive evaluations effectively rule out other potential causes of the PLS syndrome.
- The study supports the clinical diagnosis of PLS in living patients.
Implications:
- PLS is now considered a respectable and permissible clinical diagnosis.
- Improved diagnostic accuracy allows for earlier identification and management of PLS.
- This advances the understanding and clinical approach to slowly progressive gait disorders.