The Northwestern Medicine Multiple Sclerosis Program provides leading neurodiagnostic services to help our team identify patients who may need additional treatment. Neurodiagnostic services available include:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): Detailed imaging of the brain, optic nerves or spinal cord can show signs of multiple sclerosis or other related diseases.
• Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination: Analysis of the spinal fluid, along with a paired blood sample, may show evidence of inflammation in the central nervous system.
• Formal neuropsychological testing: To evaluate for patterns of cognitive dysfunction that may be seen in people with multiple sclerosis.
• Visual Diagnostic Testing
  • Optical coherence tomography: A non-invasive scan of the retina that measures the thickness of the nerve fiber layer in the retina
  • Full-field and multifocal visual evoked potentials: To measure how quickly the eye communicates signals to the brain
  • Visual Fields: To evaluate for patches of vision loss in one or both eyes.
  • Low Contrast and Color Visual Acuity testing: To assess for more subtle forms of visual impairment sometimes seen in patients with visual involvement from multiple sclerosis
• Somatosensory Evoked Potentials: To measure the speed of sensory signals reaching the brain from the arms and legs.
• Urodynamic Testing: To assess for abnormal nerve control of the bladder
• Post-void residuals: To assess urinary retention

The Northwestern Medicine Multiple Sclerosis and Clinical Neuroimmunology Program offers leading-edge, evaluation and compassionate care for patients with MS and other inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system. To learn more about our neurodiagnostic services or to request an appointment, please call 312.695.7950 or fax your physician referral to 312.695.5747.