What tests are necessary for an ms diagnosis?

MRI is required: The diagnosis of ms can be made by history, examination, and mri, under the new 2010 mcdonald criteria for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Your doctor may need additional testing such as optical coherence tomography, a procedure that evaluates the thickness of the optic nerve, but this is not mandatory. Spinal taps are not as common as in the past.

MRIs+Lumbar Puncture: Standard tests include mris of the spine (cervical and thoracic) and the brain to look for sclerotic plaques, which usually have a characteristic pattern (e.g., dawson's fingers--google it). A lumbar puncture is also standard to look for elevated myelin basic protein, oligoclonal bands in csf(not serum), and antibody changes (igg). An EMG or nerve conduction study can rule out other possible causes.

Approach: MRI images of brain and spinal cord can detect lesions if present, and confirm disorder if patterns are classical. Spinal fluid analysis is useful. Some blood studies can exclude other diagnoses.