New Imaging Method May Help Tell NMOSD Apart From MS

Fu-Dong Shi, MD

A new study showed that a special MRI technique, called susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), can help tell the difference between multiple sclerosis (MS) and a condition called aquaporin-4 (AQP4) negative neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).¹ The results suggest that certain signs on these scans, like rim and nodular lesions or a "central vein sign," could help doctors better diagnose these diseases.

In this study, 160 patients were included. Researchers compared people with different types of NMOSD and MS to see if these imaging markers could separate the conditions. The findings showed that patients with AQP4-negative NMOSD had different features from those with MS, helping doctors to potentially diagnose more accurately.

Doctors hope that this new imaging method will give them another tool to help with tricky diagnoses, especially when symptoms of MS and NMOSD look similar. More research is needed to confirm these findings, but this study opens up new possibilities for using SWI scans in the future.

An original version of this article was published on sister site Neurology Live.

REFERENCES
^{1. Gao C, Su L, Li H, et al. Susceptibility-weighted image features in AQP4-negative-NMOSD versus MS. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2024;82:105406. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2023.105406}