Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis

How is Multiple Sclerosis diagnosed?

Answer: The neurologist’s first step in MS diagnosis is taking a thorough medical history of the patient. By doing so, the doctor can obtain a detailed description of the patient’s symptoms, past illnesses, and surgeries.

The next step in diagnosis is for the doctor to identify the neurological signs of MS, such as damage to the optic nerve, abnormal reflexes, or poor coordination.

The doctor may choose to have an MRI done. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a specialized image of the central nervous system that can’t be captured through traditional x-rays or even a CT-scan. It can often show exactly where the lesions (scars) are located.

The doctor may perform a spinal tap (lumbar puncture). In this procedure, a needle is inserted into the spinal column and spinal fluid is removed for analysis. The presence of white blood cells in the fluid may be indicative of an inflammatory reaction resulting from MS. The presence of a pattern of antibodies called oligoclonal bands in the spinal fluid is also common in MS.

In addition, more specialized diagnostic procedures may be performed such as evoked potential tests that record the brain’s response to visual, auditory and pain stimuli; or computer-assisted tomography (CT) scans that can detect areas of demyelination