#ClinicSpeak: developing a personal relationship with your MRI scans

Have you seen your own MRI scans? #ClinicSpeak #MSBlog

MRI monitoring is becoming ubiquitous in the monitoring of MS disease activity. I would be interested to know if pwMS are being engaged with the monitoring of their own MRI scans. If yes, this may be one way of helping move from a 'passive' to a 'more active' form of monitoring MS disease activity. I am convinced that people with rheumatoid arthritis are more engaged with the management of their disease because the RA disease activity score contains a PROM (patient-related outcome measure). Providing pwMS with their own MRI metrics may help. Or you may disagree?

On standard MRI the following metrics are associated with poorer outcomes; it may be helpful in making decisions about you treatment if you knew about these.

  1. Number of T2 lesions (white or high signal lesions)
  2. Gd-enhancing lesions (actively inflammed lesions)
  3. Presence and number of posterior fossa lesions (brain stem and cerebellum)
  4. Presence and number of spinal cord lesions
  5. Presence of T1 lesions or black holes (swiss cheese lesions)
  6. Presence of obvious brain atrophy

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