MRI IN THE INVESTIGATION OF PATIENTS WITH MYELOPATHY THOUGHT TO BE DUE TO MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS

The role of cerebral and spinal cord MRI was investigated in 65 patien ts with myelopathy suspected of having demyelinating disease. Cerebral MRI demonstrated lesions compatible with demyelination in 80% and spi nal cord MRI in 68.6 %. In 28.5% of our patients brain lesions were pr esent with normal spinal cord images, but in 17% spinal cord lesions w ere depicted with a normal brain MRI. The combination of the two exami nations demonstrated lesions in 97% of the patients. The frequency of coexistent cerebral lesions in patients with spinal cord lesions was o ver 85% in patients with chronic disease but only 28.5 % in patients w ith acute myelitis.