What is the process for diagnosing MS?

Innovations in imaging and continued research have led to improvements in diagnosing MS. Here are the most recent guidelines

Diagnostic criteria

Doctors may have to repeat diagnostic tests for MS several times before they can confirm the diagnosis. This is because MS symptoms can change. They may diagnose someone with MS if testing points to the following criteria:

• Signs and symptoms indicate there’s damage to the myelin in the CNS.
• The doctor has identified at least two or more lesions in two or more parts of the CNS via an MRI.
• There’s evidence based on a physical exam that the CNS has been affected.
• A person has had two or more episodes of affected neurological function for at least one day, and they occurred a month apart. Or, a person’s symptoms have progressed over the course of one year.
• The doctor can’t find any other explanation for the person’s symptoms.

Diagnostic criteria have changed over the years and will likely continue to change as new technology and research comes along.

The most recent accepted criteria were published in 2017 as the revised McDonald Criteria.Trusted Source The International Panel on the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis released these criteria.

One of the more recent innovations in diagnosing MS is a tool called optical coherence tomography (OCT). This tool allows a doctor to obtain images of a person’s optical nerve. The test is painless and is much like taking a picture of your eye.

Doctors know that people with MS tend to have optic nerves that look different from people who don’t have the disease. OCT also allows a doctor to track a person’s eye health by looking at the optic nerve.

Is the diagnostic process different for each type of MS?

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