Magnetic resonance imaging cerebrospinal fluid

The McDonald criteria allow the clinician to use the clinical exam in combination with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cerebrospinal fluid data to make a diagnosis sooner, and thus begin treatment earlier. 

MS diagnostic criteria were revised in 2001 and are known as the McDonald criteria (Fig. 26-2).18-20 MS diagnosis requires that plaques be disseminated in time and space. Previously, diagnosis relied heavily on clinical examination. The McDonald criteria allow the clinician to use the clinical exam in combination with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) data to make a diagnosis sooner, and thus begin treatment earlier (Table 26-1). 

CSF Cerebrospinal fluid CTA CT angiography ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate MRA magnetic resonance angiography MRI magnetic resonance imaging RPR rapid plasma reagent... 

Virtual endoscopy (VE) permits intraluminal structures within the body to be visualized from inside in three dimensions. With either computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging data sets, the approach has been successfully applied in the investigation of the colon, vessels, bronchial tree, middle and inner ear, cerebrospinal fluid spaces, urinary tract and biliary tract. 

A full neuromuscular evaluation is needed to adequately analyze the cause of a neuromuscular problem in an aging patient, as it is in a patient of any age. This includes detailed blood tests, nerve conductions, electromyography (EMG), and a muscle biopsy (performed under local anesthetic, as an out-patient) studied by a battery of histo-chemical techniques. Often, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination is also needed. Sometimes relevant magnetic resonance imaging is necessary. 

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