An Innovative PET Tracer Can Measure Damage From Multiple Sclerosis in Mouse Models
Novel approach may improve diagnosis and monitoring for MS patients
The loss or damage of myelin, a cellular sheath that surrounds and insulates nerves, is the hallmark of the immune-mediated neurological disorder multiple sclerosis (MS). When segments of this protective membrane are damaged, nerve impulses can be disrupted. Symptoms range from tingling and numbness to weakness, pain and paralysis.
There is currently no reliable way to directly image demyelination. Physicians rely on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but despite high resolution images, MRI is not quantitative and cannot distinguish between demyelination and inflammation, which often coexist in people with MS.
A multi-institutional team based primarily at the University of Chicago Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, describe early tests of a novel minimally-invasive way to assess myelin damage using positron emission tomography (PET).
Click here to read more.
Calendar/Courses
Comprehensive Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery of the Skull Base Course
August 15-18, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA
2018 Advanced Coding for Complex Spine Cases
August 25, 2018; Rosemont, IL
2018 Coding Essentials for Neurosurgeons
August 25, 2018; Rosemont, IL
