ISMRM 21st Annual Meeting & Exhibition ○ 20-26 April 2013 ○ Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
WEEKDAY EDUCATIONAL COURSE
Multiple Sclerosis: From Pathology to Patients Monitoring
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate to Advanced
ORGANIZERS: Caterina Mainero, M.D. & Maria A. Rocca, M.D.
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
 
OVERVIEW
This session is designed to teach the audience about new advances in the use of MRI in multiple sclerosis. The first speaker will provide an overview of the pathological correlates of MRI findings in MS, with a specific focus on quantitative MR based techniques and their higher
pathological specificity than conventional T2-weighted imaging. The second speaker will describe how structural and functional MR techniques have helped quantifying damage and dysfunction in the different CNS compartments in MS patients, and have ameliorated the correlations with disease clinical manifestations. The third speaker will show characteristics MRI findings in patients at presentation with clinically isolated syndromes suggestive of MS; will illustrate the recent revision of the McDonald criteria, and will guide through MRI "red flags" which should help differentiating MS from other neurological conditions with similar clinical manifestations. The final speaker will discuss the use of conventional and modern MR based techniques to monitor disease evolution, either natural or modified by treatment, in MS patients and to derive prognostic biomarkers.
 
TARGET AUDIENCE
MD's and PhD's with an interest in the latest advances in the use of MR techniques in multiple sclerosis, from diagnosis and differential diagnosis, to improvement of understanding of disease pathophysiology and monitoring disease evolution and treatment response.
 
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

  • Describe the pathology underlying MRI findings in MS;
  • Interpret MRI findings in the white matter and gray matter in patients with MS and describe the advantages of the applications of quantitative and functional MRI techniques to MS;
  • Recognize MRI “red flags” which should differentiate MS from other neurological conditions, particularly in patients presenting with clinically isolated syndromes; and
  • Apply MR techniques for monitoring disease evolution in patients with MS and treatment response.
 

PROGRAM

Moderators: Caterina Mainero, M.D. & Maria A. Rocca, M.D.
         
13:30 Using MRI to Assess Brain Pathology in Multiple Sclerosis Klaus Schmierer, Ph.D., F.R.C.P.
14:00 What Have We Learned about MS from MRI Jeroen J. G. Geurts, Ph.D.
14:30 Differential Diagnosis in MS Alex Rovira, M.D.
15:00 The Role of MR in MS Management Jack H. Simon, M.D., Ph.D.
         
15:30     Adjournment