Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system disorder marked by progressive neurological impairments. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters are key paraclinical measures that play a crucial role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of MS-related disability. This study aims to analyze and summarize the existing literature on the correlation between MRI parameters and disability in people with MS (pwMS).
Methods: The PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to July 19, 2024, and a meta-analysis was carried out using R software version 4.4.0 and the random effects model used to determine the pooled correlation coefficient, with its 95% confidence interval (CI), between MRI measurements and disability scales.
Results: Among 5741 studies, 383 studies with 39707 pwMS were included. The meta-analysis demonstrated that Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) had significant correlations with cervical cord volume (r = -0.51, 95% CI: -0.62 to -0.38, I2 = 0%, p-heterogeneity = 0.86, p-value<0.01), cortical lesion volume (r = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.53, I2 = 68%, p-heterogeneity<0.01, p-value<0.01), brain volume (r = -0.40, 95% CI: -0.47 to -0.33, I2 = 41%, p-heterogeneity = 0.05, p-value<0.05), and grey matter volume (GMV) (r = -0.36, 95% CI: -0.49 to -0.21, I2 = 0%, p-heterogeneity = 0.53, p-value<0.01), respectively.
Conclusion: This study offers evidence suggesting that cortical lesion volume, brain volume, GMV, and MRI measurements of the spinal cord may constitute reliable indicators for assessing disability in pwMS.
Copyright: © 2024 Mirmosayyeb et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.