Versailles minimal dataset for diagnosis of ALS: a distillate of the 2nd Consensus Conference on accelerating the diagnosis of ALS

The Ind Consensus Conference (Versailles) recommended that an ALs knowledge -base for initial healthcare providers, diagnosing neurologists and confirm ing neurologists should be defined to include a simplified version of diagn ostic criteria less formal than the World Federation of Neurology Fl Escori al Revisted Criteria ('ALS diagnosis - An algorithm'), a set of rules conce rning red flags which should increase the suspicion of ALs as the diagnosis and minimize the time between suspicion and referral for confirmation of d iagnosis ('ALS axioms of referral'), as well as a site of symptom onset-spe cific checklist of minimal clinical examination, neuroimaging, electrodiagn ostic, pulmonary function and laboratory test information required to confi rm the diagnosis of ALS ('Versailles minimal dataset'). Although introducto ry discussions addressed the advantages and disadvantages of earlier diagno sis, false-positive or false-negative diagnosis, the frequency of follow-up and what potential biological markers to be followed, these issues will ha ve to be further evaluated at future consensus conferences.