The possible role of cranio-cervical trauma and abnormal CSF hydrodynamics in the genesis of multiple sclerosis.

UPRIGHT Multi-Position MR scanning has uncovered a key set of new observations regarding Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which observations are likely to provide a new understanding of the origin of MS. The new findings may also lead to new forms of treatment for MS. The UPRIGHT MRI has demonstrated pronounced anatomic pathology of the cervical spine in five of the MS patients studied and definitive cervical pathology in the other three. The pathology was the result of prior head and neck trauma. All eight MS patients entered the study on a first come first serve basis without priority, and all but one were found to have a history of serious prior cervical trauma which resulted in significant cervical pathology. The cervical pathology was visualized by UPRIGHT MRI. Upright cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cinematography and quantitative measurements of CSF velocity, CSF flow and CSF pressure gradients in the upright patient revealed that significant obstructions to CSF flow were present in all MS patients. The obstructions are believed to be responsible for CSF "leakages" of CSF from the ventricles into the surrounding brain parenchyma which "leakages" can be the source of the MS lesions in the brain that give rise to MS symptomatology. The CSF flow obstructions are believed to result in increases in intracranial pressure (ICP) that generate "leakages" of the CSF into the surrounding brain parenchyma. In all but one MS patient, anatomic pathologies were found to be more severe in the upright position than in the recumbent position. Similarly, CSF flow abnormalities were found to be more severe in the upright position than in the recumbent position in all but one MS patient. Images of the MS patient anatomic pathologies and CSF flow abnormalities are provided with comparison images from normal examinees in Figures 1-15.