Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: Guidelines from the International Panel on the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

The International Panel on MS Diagnosis presents revised diagnostic criteri a for multiple sclerosis (MS). The focus remains on the objective demonstra tion of dissemination of lesions in both time and space. Magnetic resonance imaging is integrated with clinical and other paraclinical diagnostic meth ods. The revised criteria facilitate the diagnosis of MS in patients with a variety of presentations, including "monosymptomatic" disease suggestive o f MS, disease with a typical relapsing-remitting course, and disease with i nsidious progression, without clear attacks and remissions. Previously used terms such as "clinically definite" and "probable MS" are no longer recomm ended. The outcome of a diagnostic evaluation is either MS, "possible MS" ( for those at risk for MS, but for whom diagnostic evaluation is equivocal), or "not MS."