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Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: Guidelines from the international panel on the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

  1. W. Ian McDonald FRCP1,*,
  2. Alistair Compston FRCP2,
  3. Gilles Edan MD3,
  4. Donald Goodkin4,
  5. Hans-Peter Hartung MD5,
  6. Fred D. Lublin MD6,
  7. Henry F. McFarland MD7,
  8. Donald W. Paty MD8,
  9. Chris H. Polman MD9,
  10. Stephen C. Reingold PhD10,
  11. Magnhild Sandberg-Wollheim MD11,
  12. William Sibley MD12,
  13. Alan Thompson MD13,
  14. Stanley Van Den Noort MD14,
  15. Brian Y. Weinshenker MD15,
  16. Jerry S. Wolinsky MD16

Article first published online: 2 APR 2001

DOI: 10.1002/ana.1032

Issue

Annals of Neurology

Annals of Neurology

Volume 50, Issue 1, pages 121–127, July 2001

Additional Information

How to Cite

McDonald, W. I., Compston, A., Edan, G., Goodkin, D., Hartung, H.-P., Lublin, F. D., McFarland, H. F., Paty, D. W., Polman, C. H., Reingold, S. C., Sandberg-Wollheim, M., Sibley, W., Thompson, A., Van Den Noort, S., Weinshenker, B. Y. and Wolinsky, J. S. (2001), Recommended diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis: Guidelines from the international panel on the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Annals of Neurology, 50: 121–127. doi: 10.1002/ana.1032

Author Information

  1. 1

    Royal College of Physicians, London, United Kingdom

  2. 2

    University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

  3. 3

    CHU Rennes, Rennes, France

  4. 4

    University of California, San Francisco, CA

  5. 5

    Karl-Franzens Universität, Graz, Austria

  6. 6

    Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

  7. 7

    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD

  8. 8

    University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

  9. 9

    Free University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  10. 10

    National Multiple Sclerosis Society, New York, NY

  11. 11

    University Hospital of Lund, Lund, Sweden

  12. 12

    University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ

  13. 13

    Institute of Neurology, London, UK

  14. 14

    University of California, Irvine, CA

  15. 15

    Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, MN

  16. 16

    University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, TX

*Royal College of Physicians, 11 St. Andrew's Place, London NW1 4LE, United Kingdom

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 26 JUN 2001
  2. Article first published online: 2 APR 2001
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 25 JAN 2001
  4. Manuscript Revised: 22 JAN 2001
  5. Manuscript Received: 29 NOV 2000

Funded by

  • U.S. National Multiple Sclerosis Society
  • International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies

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Abstract

The International Panel on MS Diagnosis presents revised diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS). The focus remains on the objective demonstration of dissemination of lesions in both time and space. Magnetic resonance imaging is integrated with clinical and other paraclinical diagnostic methods. The revised criteria facilitate the diagnosis of MS in patients with a variety of presentations, including “monosymptomatic” disease suggestive of MS, disease with a typical relapsing-remitting course, and disease with insidious progression, without clear attacks and remissions. Previously used terms such as “clinically definite” and “probable MS” are no longer recommended. The outcome of a diagnostic evaluation is either MS, “possible MS” (for those at risk for MS, but for whom diagnostic evaluation is equivocal), or “not MS.”

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