How is MS diagnosed?
Determining a diagnosis for Multiple Sclerosis is not always easy and requires a careful patient evaluation. If your doctor just told you there’s a chance you might have MS or you’re in the process of being tested for it, it’s important to know all the steps involved in determining a diagnosis. Join experts as they explain the diagnostic process.
Usually the first clues leading to a diagnosis of MS are the symptoms you describe to your doctor, combined with a careful review of your medical history. Most of the time this leads to a thorough neurological examination, and will probably include MRI* scans of the central nervous system and other tests. MRI scans, or magnetic resonance imaging, are safe and painless, and can show the location and size of lesions to help doctors assess the overall damage caused by MS. *The exact correlation between MRI findings and the current or future clinical status of patients, including disability progression, is unknown.
