22. 22
More Than a Demyelinating Disease
Time (Years)
DiseaseParameter
INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITYINFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY
NEURODEGENERATIONNEURODEGENERATION
PROGRESSIONPROGRESSION
RelapsesRelapses
cMRIcMRI WMLsWMLs
FLAIRFLAIR T1 Gd+T1 Gd+
FLAIRFLAIR
Rx effectRx effect
Poor Rx effectPoor Rx effect
No NewNo New WMLsWMLs
23. 23
Inflammation and Neurodegeneration in MS
Diseas
e
Stage
Dominant
Component
Main Clinical
Outcome
MRI
Early
INFLAMMATION
Edema
Demyelination (axonal loss,
brain atrophy)
Relapses Gd enhancement
Late NEURODEGENERATION
Severe axonal injury
Permanent tissue loss
Disability Black Holes
Gd enhancement
Brain Atrophy
Filippi et al., EJN 2001, 8:291-297
30. Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis
30
• Diagnosis relies on clinical judgment.
• MS is extremely variable.
• There is no specific test.
• The diagnosis has dramatic implications.
32. How to diagnose MS?
32
Clinical:
• History and
examination.
• Evidence of CNS
involvement.
• Dissemination in
space and time.
Paraclinical:
• Neuroimaging.
• Evoked potentials.
• CSF analysis.
33. Diagnostic Criteria
• Dawson criteria: 1916
• Schumacher criteria: 1965
• Poser criteria: 1983
• McDonald criteria: 2001
• McDonald criteria: 2005
• McDonald criteria: 2010
All criteria require dissemination in time and
space
34. Summarized Diagnostic Criteria
1. Dissemination in space: Objective
evidence of neurological deficits
localized to two separate parts of the
CNS
2. Dissemination in Time:
Onset of neurological deficits
separated by at least one month
3. Rule out other explanations!
2010
2014
35. Diagnostic Criteria 2005
• Incorporate use of MRI
• Clinically Isolated Syndrom + MRI
Dissemination in space + MRI
Dissemination on time =
Earlier MS Diagnosis
August
DIS
DIT
November
36. New Diagnostic Criteria 2010
• Incorporate use of MRI
• Clinically Isolated Syndrom + MRI
Dissemination in space + MRI
Dissemination on time =
Earlier MS Diagnosis
August
DIS
DIT
August
48. Mental map for diagnosis of MS
48
Clinical/Paraclinical/Imaging
Typical for MS
Fulfills Criteria
Atypical for MS
Red Flags Present
Work Up for Alternative
Diagnoses
Clinical/Imaging Follow Up
Alternative Diagnosis
Established
Further clinical/imaging
typical for MS
MS Diagnosis
Typical for MS
not Fulfilling Criteria
Clinical/Imaging
Follow Up
49. PRESENTING SYMPTOMS IN MS Total %
SENSORY LOSS IN LIMBS 30.7
VISUAL LOSS 15.9
MOTOR WEAKNESS 14.2
DIPLOPIA 6.8
GAIT DISTURBANCE 4.8
INCOORDINATION 2.9
SENSORY LOSS-FACE 2.8
LHERMITTE’S 1.8
VERTIGO 1.7
BLADDER SYMPTOMS 1
AUTE TRANSVERSE MYELOPATHY 0.7
PAIN 0.5
OTHERS 2.5
POLYSYMPTOMATIC 13.7
51. Red flags
51
• Major red flags point fairly definitively to a non-MS
diagnosis
• Intermediate red flags point to poor agreement and
uncertainty among raters about the weighting of the flag
for differential diagnosis in MS
• Minor red flags suggest that a disease other than MS
should be considered and fully explored, but an MS
diagnosis is not excluded.
67. 67
“The most common reason for
falsely attributing a patient’s
symptoms to multiple sclerosis
is faulty interpretation of the
magnetic resonance imaging.”
Famous Dictum
Loren A. Rolak
2007
71. D.D. OF M.S. IN MRI
71
1. Age-related changes
2. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
3. CNS vasculitis
4. Behçet disease
5. Sjögren syndrome
6. Sarcoidosis
7. Metastatic neoplasm
8. CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with
subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy)
9. Binswanger disease
10. Migrainous ischemia
72. D.D. OF M.S. IN MRI
72
11. Cerebrovascular disease
12. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
13. Inherited white matter diseases
14. Effects of radiation therapy or drugs
15. CNS lymphoma
16. Lyme disease
17. HTLV-1 infection
18. CNS lupus
19. Mitochondrial encephalopathies
20. Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome
73. MRI Red Flags (Major)
73
Cerebral venous sinus
thrombosis
Cortical infarcts
Hemorrhages/microhe
morrhages
Meningeal
enhancement
Calcifications on CT
scans
Selective involvement of
the anterior temporal
and inferior frontal lobe
Lacunar infarcts
Persistent Gd-
enhancement and
continued enlargement
of lesions
Simultaneous
enhancement of all
lesions
T2-hyperintensity in the
dentate nuclei
T1-hyperintensity of the
pulvinar
Large and infiltrating
brainstem lesions
Predominance of lesions
at the
cortical/subcortical
junction
74. MRI Red Flags (Intermediate)
74
Hydrocephalus
Punctiform parenchymal enhancement
T2-hyperintensities of U-fibers at the
vertex, external capsule and insular
regions
Regional atrophy of the brainstem
Diffuse lactate increase on brain MRS
Marked hippocampal and amygdala
atrophy
Symmetrically distributed lesions
T2-hyperintensities of the basal
ganglia, thalamus and hypothalamus
Predominant brainstem and cerebellar
lesions
Lesions in the center of CC, sparing
the periphery
Diffuse abnormalities in the posterior
columns of the cord
75. MRI Red Flags (Intermediate)
75
Lesions across GM/WM boundaries
T2-hyperintensities of the temporal
pole
Complete ring enhancement
Central brainstem lesions
Dilation of the Virchow-Robin spaces
Cortical/subcortical lesions crossing
vascular territories
Large lesions with absent or rare mass
effect and enhancement
No “occult” changes in the NAWM
No enhancement
No optic nerve lesions
No spinal cord lesions
Large lesions
No T1 hypointense lesions (black
holes)
Marked asymmetry of WM lesions
76. Mental map for diagnosis of MS
76
Clinical/Paraclinical/Imaging
Typical for MS
Fulfills Criteria
Atypical for MS
Red Flags Present
Work Up for Alternative
Diagnoses
Clinical/Imaging Follow Up
Alternative Diagnosis
Established
Further clinical/imaging
typical for MS
MS Diagnosis
Typical for MS
not Fulfilling Criteria
Clinical/Imaging
Follow Up
79. Timing of the therapy key to preventing disability
Time (Years)
Relapsing Remitting Multiple sclerosis Transitional Secondary Progressive MSCISPre-
Clinical
Demyelination
Remission
State of no disease
activity, the period
during which
diminution of
symptoms occurs
due to the
cessation of
inflammatory
processes and
some degree of
reparative
remyelination of
affected axons
Relapses
Acute
Inflammation
Demyelination
First
Clinical
Attack
Axonal loss
Inflammation
Brain
Volume
MRI Activity
Disability
progression
Reflects reactive
astrogliosis, Axonal
Loss and Brain
volume loss.
Starts Reversible
(remyelination) and
ends in permanent
disability
Time window
for early
treatment
Mark S. Freedman: Induction vs. escalation of therapy for relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: the evidence, Neurol Sci (2008) 29:S250–S252
82. 82
GENETIC/IMMUNOGENETIC:
• Biomarkers specified via genomics and immunogenetic
techniques.
LABORATORY:
• All other biomarkers that can be measured in body
fluids.
IMAGING:
• Biomarkers provided by imaging techniques.
BIOMARKERS
83. 83
A. GENETIC AND IMMUNOGENETIC
BIOMARKERS
BIOMARKERS
HLA
TOB-1
Apo lipoprotein-E
85. 85
I. Biomarkers of Immunological Activation
II. Biomarkers of Neuroprotection
III. Biomarkers of BBB disruption
IV. Biomarkers of demyelination
V. Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress
VI. Biomarkers of Axonal Damage
VII. Biomarkers of Glial Activation Dysfunction
VIII. Biomarkers of Remyelination Repair
IX. Biomarkers of Therapeutic Response
X. Prognostic Biomarkers
XI. Emering biomarkers
B. Laboratory Biomarkers
90. 90
GOOD RELAPSES BAD
Mild, monofocal 1st relapse Severe , multifocal
Sensory, ON Clinical presentation Motor, cerebellar
Full recovery Response to ttt Residual
Long Time to 2nd relapse Short
Low Relapse rate High
Prediction of prognosis
91. 91
GOOD DISABILITY BAD
Long Time to EDSS 4-5 Short
GOOD MRI BAD
Low Lesion load High
Absent CEL Present
Prediction of prognosis
94. MRI brain and cervical cord (1)
with Gd
Abnormal
[conversion rate 80%] (2)
Wait till
CDMS
DMT
Normal
[conversion rate 20%] (2)
Follow up
94
Conversion of CIS to CDMS
96. Relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis
(R.R.M.S.)
96
• Treatment of a
relapse
• Disease modifying
therapy (DMT)
• Symptomatic ttt
• Non
pharmacological
97. 97
• Worsening of present symptoms or appearance of new
symptoms
• At least 24 h
Relapse
• 1 month from last attack.
• Not during steroid withdrawal or infection.
• ↑ EDSS ≥ 0.5
Definition of a relapse
107. DMDs Strategy
• Rio score is adopted to determine failure of
ttt or non responding patient in order to
escalate. Escalation options include:
– Up shifting (e.g. shifting from 1st line agent to
2nd line agent)
– Lateral Shifting (shifting to another
therapeutic agent classified within same line)
– Combination with monthly methyl
prednisolone.
109. Induction therapy:
• Patients with poor prognostic factors (next
slide) may be optioned to start on a second
line agent or a more potent agent within the
same line and then
either to
• Continue on such agent
or
• Shift to a first line option according to
patient’s response.
DMDs Strategy