Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41565882›Full record

ArticleClinical neuroradiology2026

Is MR Imaging of the Cervical Spinal Cord Sufficient for Patients with Suspected Multiple Sclerosis?

Isabelle Riederer, Matthias Bussas, Markus Lauerer, Laura Harabacz, Viktor Pineker, Malek El Husseini, Nico Sollmann, Claus Zimmer, Jan S Kirschke, Mark Mühlau

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical neuroradiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Guideline
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Isabelle RiedererInstitute for Neuroradiology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany. isabelle.riederer@tum.de.
Matthias BussasDepartment of Neurology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.
Markus LauererDepartment of Neurology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.
Laura HarabaczInstitute for Neuroradiology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.
Viktor PinekerInstitute for Neuroradiology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.
Malek El HusseiniInstitute for Neuroradiology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.
Nico SollmannInstitute for Neuroradiology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.
Claus ZimmerInstitute for Neuroradiology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.
Jan S KirschkeInstitute for Neuroradiology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.
Mark MühlauDepartment of Neurology, TUM University Hospital, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeLesions in the spinal cord (SC) can be found in up to 83% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). As they are mainly located in the cervical segment, many centers exclude the thoracic part from SC imaging. The aim of our study was to quantify the decrease in sensitivity resulting from this approach.

methodsMR images (3T) of 543 consecutive patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) (n: 37) and MS (n: 506) were analyzed retrospectively. Lesions were segmented semi-automatically on axial T2-weighted images of the whole SC using BrainSeg3D. The volume of lesions was related to vertebral levels.

resultsAltogether 1782 lesions (CIS: 19; MS: 1763) were found in 409 patients. 70% of the lesion volume was located in the SC above the 3rd thoracic vertebral body, in a segment that is commonly covered by an isolated examination of the cervical SC. However, 26 patients (6%) showed lesions exclusively below the 3rd thoracic vertebral body, thus 94% of all patients with SC lesions could be detected with isolated MR imaging of the cervical SC.

conclusionThough the majority of lesions can be detected in an isolated examination of the upper part of the SC, some patients showed lesions exclusively below the 3rd thoracic vertebral body. We recommend routine scanning of the whole SC in suspected MS.

Indexed as

Cervical CordMagnetic Resonance ImagingMultiple SclerosisAdolescentAdultAgedCervical VertebraeClinical RelevanceFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedReproducibility of ResultsRetrospective StudiesSensitivity and SpecificityYoung AdultMagnetic resonance imagingMultiple sclerosisSpinal cord

Identifiers

PMID41565882
PMCPMC13319133

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.