February 5, 2020 News by Alberto Molano, PhD QyScore, Imaging Software that Analyzes MRI Markers of Brain Disease, Earns FDA Clearance The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has grantedĀ 510(k) clearance forĀ QyScore, a cloud-based imaging software for the automated quantification of key magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of central nervous system (CNS) disease. MRI is an important tool for diagnosing multiple sclerosis and other CNS disorders. By…
August 26, 2019 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Persistent MS-related Fatigue Linked to Damage in Specific Brain Regions, Study Finds Persistent fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with damage in specific areas of the brain, regardless of depression symptoms, a study shows. The study, āMicrostructural fronto-striatal and temporo-insular alterations are associated with fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis independent of white…
August 12, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD SyntheticMR’s Software Package Capable of Quickly Measuring Myelin in Brain Available in US SyntheticMR‘s SyMRI NEURO, a software package that can segment and measure myelin volume in the brain, is now available for use by radiologists in the U.S. through an agreement withĀ Siemens HealthineersĀ and itsĀ syngo.via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visualization platform, aĀ press releaseĀ states. SyMRI NEURO’s integrated software package…
July 31, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD 3D Imaging of Brain Lesions May Spot Those Most Likely to Heal, Guiding Treatment A new diagnostic method for multiple sclerosis (MS) that uses 3D analysis of a patient’s brain may beĀ able to tell physicians which lesions there are more likely to heal with time and which are not, and as such could be a game-changer in treating the disease, according to the…
June 21, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #EAN2018 – Both Brain and Spinal MRIs Needed to Monitor MS Inflammation, Study Says Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used to assess inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients should include scans of the spinal cord and not be restricted to the brain, because brain scans alone risk underestimating disease progression, a study suggests. These results were shared in the presentation, āMeasuring disease activity in…
January 19, 2018 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Loss of Deep Grey Matter in Brain Linked to Greater Disability, MS Progression in Study Deep grey matter volume loss in the brain drives multiple sclerosis (MS) progression and disability, and is particularly evident in people with progressive forms of the disease, a retrospective multi-center study suggests. The study āDeep grey matter volume loss drives disability worsening in multiple sclerosisā was published in…
October 18, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 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 āappropriate clinical circumstances.ā To mirror the increased awareness of gadolinium deposits, the new guidelines say: āWhile 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.
July 24, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Study Draws Reverse Link Between Number of a Patientās MRI Scans a Doctor Checks and Worsened-MS Declarations A new study draws a reverse link between the number of MRI scans of multiple sclerosis patients who are on interferon-beta 1a and doctors declaring there is evidence of the patients’ disease worsening. When doctors looked at one scan, rather than multiple ones, they were more likely to say that…
July 5, 2017 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc MSBase, Icometrix Collaborate on Global Imaging Project to Understand MS Progression MSBase and icometrix have joined efforts in a large-scale project to identify imaging markers of multiple sclerosis (MS) that could help diagnose the disease in its early stages. The combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) information collected from MS patients with clinical information from the MSBase Registry can offer new insights in disease progression, potentially leading to new predictive tools for MS. It may also promote more standardized use of imaging measures in clinical practice. With more than 52,000 MS patients, the MSBase Registry is an international database committed to collecting patientsā information as well as sharing, tracking and evaluating overall outcome data in MS and other neurological conditions. Until now, the MSBase Registry included only descriptive information regarding patients' imaging analysis results, with no access to full imaging data. This joint, large-scale project will include MRI scan data routinely acquired in clinical setting taking advantage of icometrixās software platform, MSmetrix. āWe wish to unlock the power of MRI for personalized monitoring in MS," Helmut Butzkueven, director of MSBase, said in a press release. "The MSBase Scientific Leadership group has selected MRI integration as the top strategic priority for MSBase. We believe that already conducted MRI scans represent an enormous missed opportunity, because advanced measurements to assess change over time from these scans are not currently in practical use.ā Butzkueven said MSBase "will test the predictive power of this unlocking of MRI data in the first phase," with a total of 10,000 MRI data points in at least 3,000 MS patients from all over the world. The project is expected to identify disease progression markers that could help detect early signs of MS by MRI evaluation. This investigator-initiated collaboration between icometrix and the MSBase Foundation is being supported by three global pharmaceutical giants: Novartis, Biogen and Roche. āMRI measures play an essential part in the complex puzzle of MS,ā said Danny Bar Zohar, global head of neuroscience development at Novartis. āPartnering with MS Base and icometrix in this exciting project will bring the acquisition of high-quality real world data to the next level, ultimately improving the outcome of people living with MS.ā
May 30, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC17 – Rituxan-treated MS Patients Three Times More Likely to Have Improved Brain Scans Multiple sclerosis patients who start Rituxan (rituximab) treatment are three times more likely to have unchanged or improved brain-scan readings than worse ones, according to a study. Holy Name Medical CenterĀ researchers presented theĀ findings at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers annual meeting in New Orleans, May 24-27. The presentation…
January 16, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Early Detection of PML May Lessen Damage Done to MS Patients Using Tysabri Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) is linked to better outcomes if the condition does not give rise to actual symptoms and is diagnosed early. Limited brain lesions and moreĀ protective immune responses were also seen in patients who fared better, but researchers…
November 22, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD RSNA 2016: Philips to Debut Advanced Software Applications to Evaluate Neurological Disorders Royal PhilipsĀ willĀ introduce a new suite of magnetic resonance (MR)-based software applications at the upcomingĀ Radiological Society of North Americaās 102ndĀ Scientific Meeting and Annual Assembly (RSNA 2016;Ā #RSNA16) Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 in Chicago. Philipsā Ingenia family of digital MRI systemsĀ provides radiologists with a unique set…
August 11, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Early Disease Activity in MS Seen to Have Little Long-Term, Prognostic Value A large study of multiple sclerosis patients (MS) came to the conclusion that clinical and brain imaging assessments drawn from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scansĀ areĀ poor measures of long-term prognosis for patients. The study, āLong-term evolution of multiple sclerosis disability in the treatment era,ā published in the journal…
July 8, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Brain Atrophy in MS Patients May Soon Be More Easily and Routinely Examined Detecting brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients requires high quality scans, tooĀ expensive and complicated for routine clinical use. But this may change with a new software that simplifies the calculation of brain atrophy based on data from routine magnetic resonance images (MRI). The new toolĀ and its benefits wereĀ recently described…
July 1, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New MRI Method Has Potential to Map MS Progression and Guide Treatment Researchers working withĀ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)Ā are often faced with a problem: an average MRI brain scan produces a considerable amount of images (around 600 megabytes), but half carry distortions that make them unreadable. These āphase images,ā as they are known, are usuallyĀ discarded and their insightsĀ lost. Now, the work of researchers…
May 21, 2015 News by admin 11-Year Follow-up of Bayer’s BENEFIT Interferon-beta1b Treatment Reveals Positive Results For MS Patients Results from the BENEFIT11 trial indicate thatĀ early treatment with IFNB-1b leads to improvements inĀ cognition and fatigue in the long-term, as well as sustained employment and favorable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes, measured at the 11-year mark. Supported byĀ Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, the study, titled “Long-term Impact of Early MS Treatment with…
January 6, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD RRMS Study Using MRI Reveals Benefits of Experimental Therapy in Achieving No Evidence of Disease Activity Results from aĀ Phase 3 clinical trial entitled “AVANCE” revealed promising clinical outcomes in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated forĀ one year with peg interferon beta-1a. The analysis wasĀ published in the journal BMC Neurology, in a study entitled āEffect of peg interferon beta-1a on MRI measures and…