Prognostic value of spinal cord lesion measures in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Background: Spinal cord (SC) lesions have been associated with unfavourable clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the relation of whole SC lesion number (SCLN) and volume (SCLV) to the future occurrence and type of confirmed disability accumulation (CDA) remains largely unexplored.

Methods: In this monocentric retrospective study, SC lesions were manually delineated.

Retrospective cohort study to devise a treatment decision score predicting adverse 24-month radiological activity in early multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory disease affecting about 2.8 million people worldwide. Disease course after the most common diagnoses of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is highly variable and cannot be reliably predicted.

Somatosensory evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging of the central nervous system in early multiple sclerosis.

Background: Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) are still broadly used, although not explicitly recommended, for the diagnostic work-up of suspected multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: To relate disability, SSEP, and lesions on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with early MS.

Methods: In this monocentric retrospective study, we analyzed a cohort of patients with relapsing-remitting MS or clinically isolated syndrome, with a maximum disease duration of two years, as well as with available data on the score at the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), on SSEP, on whole spinal cord (SC) MRI, and on brain MRI.

CSF Protein Concentration Shows No Correlation With Brain Volume Measures.

CSF protein concentrations vary greatly among individuals. Accounting for brain volume may lower the variance and increase the diagnostic value of CSF protein concentrations. To determine the relation between CSF protein concentrations and brain volume.

Left ventricular assist device hemolysis leading to dysphagia.

A 41-year-old man with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device presented for evaluation of dysphagia and dark urine. He was found to have a significantly elevated L-lactate dehydrogenase and an elevated plasma free hemoglobin consistent with intravascular hemolysis. After the hemolysis ceased, both the black urine and dysphagia resolved spontaneously.