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Updated: Oct 5, 2025

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis at 7.0 Tesla
Published on: February 19, 2021
Consistency of the "central vein sign" in chronic multiple sclerosis lesions
Matthias Reichl1, Matthias Wittayer1, Claudia E Weber1
1Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim and Mannheim Center of Translational Neurosciences (MCTN), Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1 - 3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany.
Background:
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the central vein sign (CVS) as a new imaging marker and previous cross-sectional studies demonstrated that the CVS has the potential to discriminate multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions from non-MS lesions. The aim of this study was to investigate the consistency of the CVS in a longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data set.
Methods:
3T MRI datasets from seventy-one people with MS acquired at baseline and after 12 months-follow-up were analyzed. Chronic lesions were identified on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Co-registered susceptibility-weighted/FLAIR images were analyzed for the presence of a CVS at baseline and follow-up.
Results:
A total of 183 chronic lesions were included in the final analysis. At baseline MRI, a CVS was detectable in 141/183 (77%) lesions. Overall, the CVS was consistent in 114/141 (81%) lesions (Cohen's kappa = 0.46, standard error = 0.07).
Conclusion:
The CVS is a rather stable feature in chronic MS lesions and therefore represents a robust imaging marker that could increase the specificity of MRI in MS.
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