Magnetic resonance in multiple sclerosis.

Magnetic resonance and various chemical measurements, such as spectroscopy, are being systematically applied to both multiple sclerosis and the experimental model (experimental allergic encephalitis). The dynamic aspects of multiple sclerosis pathology can be visualized on serial magnetic resonance imaging scans, and enhancement techniques help distinguish another type of activity by showing a leaky blood-brain barrier in acute lesions. Quantitative measures applied to the image also appear to provide an index of the burden of disease both in individual patients and in groups. A combination of the dynamic information available from serial studies and the quantitative information concerning burden of disease promises to provide both sensitivity and objectivity to standard outcome measures in multiple sclerosis. In addition, natural history studies of the evolution of magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy will revolutionize our understanding of the evolution of the actual tissue changes in multiple sclerosis pathology that can be characterized during life.