125: Understanding Major Changes to New McDonald Criteria for Multiple Sclerosis

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice. In this episode, Daniel Ontaneda, MD, PhD, a staff member of the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis, provided an in-depth overview on the newly announced McDonald criteria to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS). Ontaneda, who also serves as an assistant professor of neurology, discussed the most notable changes to the criteria and how it may help towards improving rates of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. He spoke on the incorporation of new biomarkers, such as central vein sign and paramagnetic rim lesions, and the ability to diagnose MS in stages before clinical presentation shows. Furthermore, Ontaneda gave some perspective on the areas of the new criteria that will take some time to adjust to, as well as how these criteria may change the philosophical perspective of the disease as a whole.  Looking for more Multiple sclerosis discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® multiple sclerosis clinical focus page. Episode Breakdown: 1:10 – Focus and direction of new diagnostic criteria 3:00 – Overviewing specific changes to McDonald criteria 10:50 – Approach to diagnosing pre-MS; treating radiologically isolated syndrome earlier 12:55 – Neurology News Minute 15:10 – Incorporation of new biomarkers, central vein sign, paramagnetic rim lesions, OCT 21:45 – Unanswered questions/challenges left out of the diagnostic criteria The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here: Potential Regulatory Submission for Inebilizumab in Myasthenia Gravis Following Positive Phase 3 MINT Data Parkinson Agent Tavapadon Meets Primary and Secondary End Points as Monotherapy in Phase 3 TEMPO-1 Trial Sage Therapeutics and Biogen Officially Announce Ending of SAGE-324 Program in Essential Tremor Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.