Diagnosis

Translation of 2024 MS criteria for asymptomatic individuals into clinical practice: From RIS to MS

Explore how the 2024 McDonald revision enhances diagnostic precision and supports earlier, evidence-based identification of Multiple Sclerosis with Professor and Doctor Christine Lebrun-Frenay.

This recording will help you refine your MS diagnostic skills with Christine Lebrun-Frenay led-insights on the 2024 McDonald criteria and practical tools for confident early detection.

Key Insights from the Webinar

The 2024 McDonald revision refines diagnostic clarity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) while maintaining strong continuity with the 2017 criteria. The update aims to support earlier, more confident diagnosis, particularly for asymptomatic or preclinical cases, and to reduce over-diagnosis in patients with vascular or migraine-related MRI findings. The session highlights how these refinements improve specificity, reduce misdiagnosis in older or comorbid patients, and support early, evidence-based intervention in Radiologically Isolated Syndrome (RIS).

Practical takeaway:

Refined definitions. Dissemination in space now includes five key regions: periventricular, cortico/juxtacortical, infratentorial, spinal cord, and optic nerve.
Diagnostic toolbox. Clinicians can apply a broader evidence base: CSF findings, spinal cord lesions, and imaging features (CVS and PRLs) to refine classification and increase specificity.
Dual pathways. The 2024 criteria distinguish between asymptomatic MS and Radiologically Isolated Syndrome (RIS), helping identify true preclinical disease while avoiding over-calling MS.
Clinical caution. In individuals over 50 years or with migraine/vascular comorbidities, stronger confirmation is advised before diagnosing MS.
Evidence for early treatment. An early intervention with dimethyl fumarate and teriflunomide reduced the risk of a first clinical event by approximately 80% and 72%, respectively.

“Translation of 2024 MS criteria for asymptomatic individuals into clinical practice“.

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Find out about the speaker:

Christine Lebrun-Frenay

MD PhD, FAAN, is Professor of Neurology and Oncologist.

She is head of the inflammatory neurological disorders clinical research unit and MS center at the University of Nice Cote d’Azur.

She is a member of the French Neurological Society and French MS Society (SFSEP), in which she was president and of the European and American Academies of Neurology.

In 2008, she described the first cohort of a subclinical form of MS. Subsequently, she co-founded with American, European, and Turkish colleagues the RIS Consortium, which expanded worldwide to collect a unique, extensive patient cohort. Her research interest includes therapeutical and MRI studies in MS with a specific implication in the description of Radiologically Isolated Syndrome (RIS).

She is the co-editor of recommendations in MS for the French MS Society (vaccines, infections, and DMTs). She is participating in numerous clinical trials and research studies with international publications in neuroinflammatory diseases. Member of several editorial boards of scientific journals and scientific boards, she is also involved in medical evaluations for MS patients’ associations.
She was nominated in 2018 for the executive committee of the ECTRIMS, the French Association for MS Research (ARSEP), received in 2020, the Excellence Price of the Cote d’Azur University, The French Neurological Society, and 2023 member of the McDonald Committee.