The diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) have been continuously evolved since 1950's, and gained speed parallel to the development of detailed laboratory methods. The common aim for all the defined criteria up to now, is to establish the dissemination in space and time of the clinical picture caused by the lesions in the central nervous system (CNS), and to rule out other diseases which might mimic MS. There is no definite measure or laboratory marker for the diagnosis of MS, yet. Both the clinical features of the disease, and laboratory investigations such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses are being used. Clinical and imaging findings that may be seen in MS, can also be mimicked by some infectious, neoplastic, genetic, metabolic, vascular and other idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating disorders (IIDD). In the earlier stages of the disease, especially IIDD's such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOs) and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) can cause diagnostic difficulty, however, these disorders which have both distinct pathogeneses and clinical courses than MS, should also be treated differently. Therefore, to identify MS-related attacks and determine the final diagnosis is vital for the correct treatment choice and longterm disability prevention. In this manuscript the principal approach for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of MS has been reviewed regarding the recent guidelines.

Parry-Romberg syndrome, also known as progressive hemifacial atrophy, is a rare, slowly progressive disorder characterized by unilateral, painless atrophy of the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the face. Neurological manifestations such as epilepsy, migraine and trigeminal neuralgia are relatively common and accompany in 15-20% of cases. Various etiologies such as infection, trauma, embryonic developmental dysfunction, sympathetic dysfunction and autoimmune disorders have been suggested as possible causes. Here we describe a 37-year-old woman whose disease manifested with dynamic contrast enhanced white matter changes over a period of two years, suggesting a “relapsing-remitting” course. Besides the inflammatory activity, positive serum-autoantibodies, inflammatory findings in cerebrospinal fluid, and an overlapping systemic autoimmune disorder may further support the hypothesis of autoimmune-inflammatory mediated pathogenesis.

No abstract

No abstract

Objective: Intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) is the most commonly used emergency treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks and the risk of adverse effects is high due to frequent use. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between adverse effects that can lead to severe morbidity and possible pharmaceutic and/or physiologic causes. Materials and Methods: This study included patients with clinically definite MS who underwent IVMP treatment between 2010-2018. The corticosteroid treatment dose and duration, demographic characteristics, laboratory findings and adverse effect profiles of the patients were examined. Results: The medical records of 390 patients (F/M=294/96) with follow-up were evaluated retrospectively. Eleven (F/M=8/3) patients who developed severe complications after IVMP were detected. The drug infusion was ceased in two patients due to severe allergic reactions or tachyarrhythmia. One patient with severe tachycardia and two patients with corticosteroid-induced allergy received IVMP therapy along with alternative treatment and observation methods. In nine patients, avascular bone necrosis (AVN) developed after the treatment. AVN was multifocal in six patients and monofocal in three patients. The most frequently affected localization was the femoral head (six patients), followed by the tibia and talus. Only one patient had a high and repeated-dose (42 g total) drug use. Two patients received single-dose IVMP treatment. Conclusion:In our study, the treatment-related complications of patients diagnosed as having clinical definite MS and receiving IVMP were defined and it was thought that they might not be related to drug dose and duration.