Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers

CMSC 2020 Meeting Will Be Free and Online May 26-29

To ensure the safety of its participants during the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual MeetingĀ will be a free virtual conference on May 26ā€“29. This meeting is considered the largest educational conference in North America for healthcare professionals working in multiple sclerosis…

CMSC Announces 4 Winners of Pilot Research Awards for 2019

TheĀ Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) named four scientists the winners of itsĀ Pilot Research Award for 2019, given to support projects thought to advance the CMSCā€™s mission and improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The awards, supported by EMD Serono (known as Merck…

Multiple Sclerosis Centers Consortium Develops Healthcare Associate Certification Exam

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)Ā has developed aĀ Multiple Sclerosis Healthcare Associate (MSHA) Certification Examination for all non-licensed, educated and trained medical personnel working inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). The MSHA Certification Examination provides formal recognition of a specialized body of knowledge felt to be necessary to provide optimal…

Registrations Open for Upcoming Nashville CMSC 2018 Meeting

Registrations are now open for the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), set for May 30-June 2 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The CMSC Annual Meeting is the nation’s largest educational conference and professional development event for healthcare practitioners, researchers and…

New Video Series Features ‘It Takes a Team’

Thereā€™s a difference between being lucky and being blessed. I learned that difference in 1992, after giving birth to our son. Once the doctors counted 10 toes, 10 fingers and we heard the babyā€™s first cry, I remarked to my husband how lucky we were.

Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Revises MRI Guidelines

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers has updated guidelines for using magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate people suspected of having multiple sclerosis. Doctors use the MRI guidelines not only to diagnose MS but also to track treatment results. A task force is reviewing the new guidelines before they're published. The working document is called Ā "Revised Guidelines of the CMSC MRI Protocol for the Diagnosis and Follow-up of MS." The task force, composed of neurologists, radiologists and imaging scientists experienced in MS, met in January 2017 to revise the guidelines. They also updated information about the situations for which standardized brain and spinal cord MRI scans should be used. One change is a recommendation that gadolinium, a contrast agent in scans, be used cautiously. The previous update, published in 2015, included no constraints on the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents.Ā But soon after publication, information emerged showing that gadolinium, although not toxic, accumulates in the brain. This prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to recommend limiting the use of gadolinium to ā€œappropriate clinical circumstances.ā€ To mirror the increased awareness of gadolinium deposits, the new guidelines say: ā€œWhile there is no known central nervous system toxicity, these agents should be used judiciously, recognizing that gadolinium continues to play an invaluable role in specific circumstances related to the diagnosis and follow-up of individuals with MS.ā€ Since 2009, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers has addressed a number of other issues. One is encouraging the use of three-dimensional MRI for brain scans. Another is developing protocols for monitoring severe optic nerve inflammation and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, a brain disease caused by a virus. The guidelines have been revised to recommend the specific timing of scans for monitoring PML. The update also includes recommendations for theĀ timing of scans on patients receiving disease-modifying drugs. Since 2009, the guidelines have included recommendations on scans of radiologic isolated syndrome, a condition where MS-like MRI lesions are present without symptoms. And they have included provisions onĀ the value of using MRI changes to evaluate treatment effectiveness. The centers' goal "is to standardize the MRI protocol and make these recommendations a useful guideline for neurologists, neuroradiologists, and related healthcare professionals during initial evaluations and during follow-up of patients with MS, and ultimately provide optimum care for those individuals dealing with this unpredictable disease,ā€ June Halper, the centers' chief executive officer, said in a press release.

Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Calls for Abstracts for 2017 Annual Meeting

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) is inviting researchers and healthcare professionals to submit abstractsĀ to be presented at its 31st Annual Meeting, focusing onĀ developments inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) research, patient care and treatment outcomes. The 2017 CMSC meeting, organized by the groupā€™s Continuing Professional Education Committee, will take…

#CMSC16 – Home DVD-Guided Exercise May Help Older MS Patients Improve Physical Function, Quality of Life

Positive results from a home-based exercise intervention designed to target flexibility, toning, and balance for older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), suggests that exercise is important forĀ improving Ā patient quality of life. TheĀ study, “A Qualitative Study of a Home-Based DVD Exercise Intervention in Older Adults with Multiple Sclerosis,” was…

#CMSC16 – Delayed-release Dimethyl Fumarate Benefits Newly Diagnosed MS Patients, According to Study

Newly diagnosed patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) show significant improvements when treated with delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF), especiallyĀ in terms of reduction inĀ confirmed disability progression. The study, ā€œEfficacy of Delayed-Release Dimethyl Fumarate in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Using a Composite Measure of Disability,ā€ was recently presented at the…

#CMSC16 – Researchers Present Findings Showing Women with MS Have Significant Depression, Fatigue, Decline in Cognitive Function

Researchers at the University of Arizona studied the psychosocial symptoms felt by a group of female patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) from the southwestern United States, and found significant relationships between depression, fatigue, and cognitive decline — symptoms also related with poorer quality of life and reduced mental and…

#CMSC16 – Novel Model of Home Care for Patients with Progressive MS Proven Beneficial, Increased Patients’ Satisfaction

A new model of care implemented to address the needs of patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers has provenĀ beneficial by reducing hospital stays, avoiding major care expenses, and improving patients’ satisfaction. The model has been tested in MS patients with high disability scores, and preliminary results of…

#CMSC16 – Home Evaluation Prototype to Improve At-home Rehabilitation After Hospitalization

Researchers at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta areĀ developing a prototype that addresses physical and cognitive parameters, daily routines, and homes of patients to better implement rehabilitation within the home environment. The study wasĀ presented in “Functional Home Evaluation: Missing Pieces in Treatment and Transition Processes” during the Consortium…