•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic value of the central vein sign (CVS) using specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences, such as susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) and gradient echo sequence (GRE), while also assessing its association with cardiovascular risk factors. The central vein sign is a radiological biomarker proposed as a differentiating tool between multiple sclerosis (MS) and nonspecific white matter diseases (WMD), addressing the high rate of MS misdiagnosis.
Methods: In this case-control study, investigators who were blinded to patients' clinical and demographic data reviewed the brain MRI scans of 598 consecutive patients between January 2016 and August 2022 for the occurrence of the CVS. A total of 422 participants were included after excluding 176 patients.
Results: In total, 5939 brain lesions were analyzed: 4773 in 245 patients with MS and 1166 in 177 patients with other WMDs. In patients with MS, the CVS was detected in 1300 lesions (27.23%). The specificity of the 3- and 6-CVS lesion criteria was 89.8% and 100%, respectively. In the multivariate regression model, hypertension and the onset of optic neuritis were independently and negatively associated with the CVS.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the CVS is highly specific in differentiating MS from other WMDs, suggesting that its integration into the MS diagnostic criteria could enhance MS diagnosis and improve patient outcomes.

Article Type

Original Article

First Page

380

Last Page

390

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Download

Included in

Neurosciences Commons

Share

COinS