Spinal Cord Abnormalities in Early Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis

Spinal cord lesions and atrophy in the cervical region are common in adult multiple sclerosis (MS) and correlate with disability. Whether similar abnormalities occur in pediatric MS patients is largely unknown. Clinical and MRI evaluations were performed in 38 pediatric MS patients and 13 healthy controls (HC). No significant differences in upper cervical cord area were found between MS patients and HC or between patients with and without lesions. Patients with lesions showed increased cord volume, co-localizing with lesions, likely reflecting inflammation. Our results suggest that upper cord atrophy is not a prominent feature in early pediatric MS, underscoring the inflammation-driven characteristic of these patients.