Showing posts with label Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis Code. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis Code. Show all posts

Friday, February 15, 2013

// // Leave a Comment

Diagnosis Multiple sclerosis With a Simple Eye Scan

A simple eye scan could detect Multiple Sclerosis in its early stage, say U.S. researchers of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system, especially the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Multiple Sclerosis can cause difficulty in strength and muscle control, vision, balance, sensation and disorders of mental function. When this condition occurs, the protective sheath around nerves, called myelin, is attacked and nerves are exposed and inclined to damage.

There are several types of Multiple Sclerosis, the most common being the relapsing-remitting whose symptoms come and go periodically. Although any type of Multiple Sclerosis can not be cured, the evolution of the disease can be slowed by some treatments. Also, monitoring disease may also be difficult because evolution can be unpredictable. Therefore, scientists have looked for new ways to discover and pursue Multiple Sclerosis disease.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a technique used by doctors to measure retinal thickness. The measurement takes only a few minutes and can be done in any medical office. Retinal tomography and optical coherence tomography is a modern, non-invasive, non-contact investigation of the retina that uses coherent light - laser, with which the retina can be scanned and retinal layers could be analyzed.

It give a "optical biopsy" in vivo of retina that provides qualitative and quantitative information about the high resolution all its layers. In a recent clinical study of 164 people with Multiple Sclerosis, through this simple eye scan, scientist could see that patients with thinner layers of the retina have a more active and earlier Multiple Sclerosis.

"This technique offers the possibility to detect structural changes in the central nervous system, helping to diagnose Multiple Sclerosis and to identify a treatment that prevents damage to nerve cells," said Dr. Elliot Frohman, professor of neurology and ophthalmology, co-author of the study published in Annals of Neurology.

OCT measures of retinal nerve fiber thickness. Unlike the rest of the brain's nerve cells, which are covered by myelin, those in the retina shows no such coating. For this reason, experts suggest that nerve cells in the retina can show early signs of Multiple Sclerosis. The researchers look to the future with optimism, hoping that ophthalmologists will be able to use this new diagnostic method to evaluate the retina during a routine eye examination.

According to Multiple Sclerosis Society in the world, a large number of people with Multiple Sclerosis (approximately 45%) are not strongly affected by the disease and live a normal life, and in the first five years of the disease give an overview of the developments.

Multiple Sclerosis is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Among methods of treatment for Multiple Sclerosis, interferon beta and glatiramer acetate have the effect of slowing this disability and reducing the intensity and frequency of outbreaks. Currently, research is focused on developing a treatment to change its course.
Read More

Monday, February 4, 2013

// // Leave a Comment

Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis

Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis
Multiple sclerosis is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Multiple Scleroosis is a demyelinating inflammatory condition of a region. Myelin is a layer that insulates nerves, behaving like a shell of an electric wire, enabling nerve to transmit nerve impulses quickly. Efficiency and speed with which these impulses are transmitted that allow some movement with minimal effort as light, swift and well coordinated.

In the case of Multiple Sclerosis, the myelin sheath disappearance is accompanied by diminishing the ability of nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain and this dysfunction causes various symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. Places where myelin is not present anymore(plaques or lesions) appear as scars: in Multiple Sclerosis these scars appear at different times and in different areas of the brain-stem and spinal cord. Multiple Sclerosis in simply term means many scars.

Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis
Unlike many other diseases, there is not 100% positive or negative test for diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis, and none of the tests available will help doctors to provide a result 100% sure. So the doctor can diagnose a person with Multiple Sclerosis only after he take into account the person's symptoms, but after the patients rules out other possibilities. This method is called "clinical diagnosis".

Problems with diagnosis

Unfortunately for 10-15% of potential patients, a definite diagnosis can not be given yet even after all the available tests performed until now. However, may be excluded some important causes and symptoms of other diseases, and after a certain time, regular reviews and monitoring changes that occur in the person's condition, diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis can be given in most cases.

New diagnostic criteria for Multiple Sclerosis

International Medical and Scientific Committee of the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis developed some criteria to help doctors to distinguish Multiple Sclerosis from other diseases that may have similar symptoms. This new diagnosis criteria for Multiple Sclerosis even after a single proliferation period symptoms, analyzing MRI results. Using the new criteria, a person can be diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis for surely as there can have MS or MS definitely lacking.

Clinical diagnosis

Early symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis are characterized by vague symptoms that occur sporadically over a prolonged period of time, and can also be attributed to other diseases. Even when a person shows classic symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, they must to perfectly feet with the established criteria for clinical diagnosis, before doctor give certain diagnosis of  Multiple Sclerosis. The criteria are the follows: "two different regions of the central nervous system are affected, and their effects were felt in at least two different moments located at least one month difference from each other, and the person falls into the specific age of onset Multiple Sclerosis". With all that it is possible to be diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the first visit to a neurologist, and is quite likely to be called for further tests.
Read More