Commentary
Video
Multiple Sclerosis MRI Protocol Card: David Li, MD, FRCPC
Author(s):
The director of the Multiple Sclerosis/MRI Research Group at the University of British Columbia spoke to the portable Standardized MRI Protocol card that is being distributed in an effort to better inform the community to follow the newly published guidelines. [WATCH TIME: 2 minutes]
WATCH TIME: 2 minutes
“We think that this will be helpful for patients in that they can have it around and they can check with the people that are doing their scans; it’s going to be helpful for neurologists so that they can give it to their patient when they go to get MRI; and it’s going to be helpful for radiologists and the MR centers so they will have an idea of what is being asked for.”
In the summer of 2021, a combined effort from the Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis study group, Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), and North American Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis Cooperative resulted in the latest update in MRI guidelines for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The recommendations covered changes in MRI acquisition protocols, such as the emphasis on the value of 3D-fluid-attenuated inversion recovery as the core brain pulse sequence to improve diagnostic accuracy and ability to identify new lesions to monitor treatment effectiveness, as well as for the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents.
Additionally, the group extended the recommendations to the use of MRI for those in childhood, during pregnancy, and in the post-partum period. At the 2021 CMSC Annual Meeting, October 25-28, one of the authors of the paper, David Li, MD, FRCPC, professor of radiology, associate member in neurology, and director, Multiple Sclerosis/MRI Research Group, University of British Columbia, spoke with NeurologyLive on the key points.
Li specifically spoke to the use of a small, portable card that covers the needs for scans to follow the new protocol, its potential to help improve the application of these new guidelines, and how it might better inform patients and physicians about them.
The Standardized MRI Protocol card can be accessed here, and the Spanish version can be accessed here.
For more coverage of CMSC 2021, click here.
REFERENCE
Wattjes MP, Ciccarelli O, Reich DS, et al; 2021 MAGNIMS-CMSC-NAIMS consensus recommendations on the use of MRI in patients with multiple sclerosis. Lancet Neurol. 2021;20(8):653-670. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00095-8
