Diagnosing MS

The diagnosis of MS is a complex task. A combination of medical history, neurologic examination, imaging techniques and lab tests can help neurologists rule out other diseases and confirm an MS diagnosis.

Since 2001, neurologists have used the McDonald criteria to guide accurate MS diagnoses. The criteria include specific guidelines for interpreting clinical presentation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, and visual evoked potentials (VEP) findings. Since their introduction, the McDonald criteria have been revised several times to refine the diagnostic work-up and increase the sensitivity of diagnosis with preserved specificity. The latest revision was published in 2017 [1].
 

Here is a simplified table summarizing the main criteria of the McDonald 2017 criteria available for download: