Differentiating Radiologically Isolated Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis With Imaging Biomarkers: Jiwon Oh, MD, PhD

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

"We found some interesting findings in our patients. Over time, if we can prospectively show that some or a combination of these measures have predictive value, it might be very helpful from a clinical standpoint."

Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) refers to an entity in which white matter lesions fulfilling the criteria for multiple sclerosis occur in individuals without a history of clinically demyelinating attack or alternative etiology. It only gained full recognition in 2009, and since then, clinicians have uncovered more about the disease and its relationship to MS using imaging biomarkers. Some experts, including Jiwon Oh, MD, believe RIS represents a valuable opportunity to evaluate the earliest stages of MS prior to the first clinical symptoms occur.

Oh, a staff neurologist, scientist, and medical director of the Barlo Multiple Sclerosis Program at St Michaels Hospital, University of Toronto, recently delivered a speech at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2022, Feb 24-26, in West Palm Beach, Florida, on imaging biomarkers of RIS/MS prodrome. She discussed the current literature on RIS, advanced MRI techniques, clinical management of the disease, and how these imaging biomarkers may be incorporated into routine clinical care.

Following the meeting, she sat down with NeurologyLive® to outline her speech and why its clinically relevant to the MS community. She also detailed which specific MRI measures clinicians should focus in on, as well as how this type of data should be extracted.

For more coverage of ACTRIMS Forum 2022, click here.