Demyelinating lesions in cervical spinal cord and disability in multiple sclerosis patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions appear both in brain and cervical cord. The aim of this study was to estimate the presence of MRI changes in cervical cord depending on the course, duration of the disease and a disability. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical measures included 66 patients suffering from MS, the diagnosis was made according to McDonald's criteria. Patients were aged from 18 to 62 (41 women and 25 men). RESULTS: In patients with relapsing-remitting form (EDSS 1-4) single lesions were seen whereas secondary progressive patients (EDSS 3-7) had diffuse demyelinating lesions and primary progressive patients (EDSS 4-8)--both kinds of changes. It has been shown that the lesions occurred as the disease proceeds. Patients without demyelinating lesions in cervical cord had EDSS from 1 to 3 and the duration of their disease was longer than 10 years (benign MS). CONCLUSIONS: The duration of the disease depends on the presence and character of demyelinating lesions in cervical cord to a large extent. That dependence was not noticed in a primary progressive form. In benign MS there were no lesions in cervical cord.