Objective: It may provide a better gathering of data for further Meta-analyses regarding factors associated with tonic spasm in MS.

Background: The lower prevalence of tonic spasm caused it difficult to describe the related clinical and imaging features in those MS patients comprehensively. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings have played an important role in diagnosis and severity of MS. Studies that investigate the relationship between tonic spasm and MRI findings are limited and in contrast. In this study, we provided a comprehensive description of clinical and imaging characteristics among MS patients suffered from tonic spasm.

Method: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Isfahan Multiple Sclerosis Clinic (IMSC), from August to October 2018. 4600 documents were enrolled that 28 of the patients confronted with tonic spasm during the course of the disease. MRI with and without contrast 1.5 T, was used initially and following each attack. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20.

Results: Of 28 patients entered for analysis, 20 (71.4%) were female and the mean age was 28.28± 7.18. The severity of the disease was assessed using Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) with a mean of 1.89±0.67. Most of patients (27, 96.4%) suffered from relapsing remitting subtype and one (3.6%) had secondary progressive form. Periventricular lesions were seen in all patients. Brain stem lesion was seen in 5(17.9%) patients. Of other 23 patients, 12(49.2%) and 8(28.6%) had cervical and basal ganglia lesions, respectively. Ten patients (35.7%) had juxtacortical lesion and 4(14.3%) had cortical involvement.

Conclusion: In our study, there was no significant increase in tonic spasm attack duration with involvement of any lesion sites. We did not find any significant relationship between EDSS and MRI or clinical findings except more disability (statistically significant) in patients with cortical lesions. The EDSS was higher in patients with lesions in basal ganglia, brain stem or cortical lesion.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/descriptive-presentation-of-mri-findings-in-multiple-sclerosis-patients-with-tonic-spasm/