Increasing cord atrophy in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a 3 year study

Objectives: Previous studies have shown that upper cervical cord atrophy (UCCA) occurs in multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly in those disabled and with primary or secondary progressive disease. It is less clear how early it can be detected in relapsing-remitting (RR) MS, and whether early cord atrophy relates to the concurrent or future clinical course. Methods: Twenty seven RR MS patients (median disease duration 1.7 years, in all cases Results: Longitudinal analysis showed a significant decrease in UCCA in patients both within the patient cohort (p Conclusions: In summary, serial UCCA measurement detects the development of spinal cord atrophy in clinically early RR MS.