%A Ibrahim, Muhammad %A Tabari, Abdulkadir %A Igashi, Joseph %A Mohammed, Turaki %A Abubakar, Sani %A Obiako, Reginald %T Magnetic Resonance Imaging of multiple sclerosis: A rare but real disease entity in Africans %9 Original Article %D 2016 %J Archives of International Surgery %R 10.4103/2278-9596.187199 %P 41-46 %V 6 %N 1 %U https://www.archintsurg.org/article.asp?issn=2278-9596;year=2016;volume=6;issue=1;spage=41;epage=46;aulast=Ibrahim %8 January 1, 2016 %X Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system in young and middle-aged adults; it also affects older people. There is an important role for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of MS since an MRI can show multiple lesions, some of which can be clinically occult and MRI can show new lesions on follow-up scans. This is aimed to create awareness on the existence of MS in our environment and the role of MRI in the diagnosis of MS. Patients and Methods: Five cases (three females and two males) of MS referred from the medical outpatient clinic and medical ward were seen in the MRI suite at the Department of Radiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Nigeria in the year 2014 whose diagnoses were missed on computed tomography (CT) but clinched on MRI were reviewed. The findings on MRI were correlated with clinical presentation. Results: Titubation and amnesia were the most common mode of clinical presentation in the patients examined. Typical MS lesions involving the corpus callosum, U-fibers, temporal lobes, brainstem, cerebellum, and spinal cord were best depicted on MRI while CT scan did not show any evidence of such lesions. Conclusion: MRI is the imaging modality of choice in the diagnosis of MS. Patients with typical symptoms in Africa should be subjected to MR examination in order to exclude MS. %0 Journal Article %I Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications %@ 2278-9596