Associate neurologist, and director, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital; an associate professor of neurology, Harvard Medical School

Eric Klawiter, MD, MSc

“I think the key takeaway is that we're continually improving our ability to both diagnose and monitor people with multiple sclerosis, and ultimately, these types of improvements will enhance our ability to understand the pathophysiology of MS.”

’s Institutional Perspectives in Neurology meeting on Feb 9, 2022, experts in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS) presented on a variety of topics, including B-cell depleting medications recently approved by the FDA for MS, as well as medications recently approved for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Eric Klawiter, MD, MSc, associate neurologist, and director, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital; and associate professor of neurology, Harvard Medical School, gave a talk on neuroimaging in MS and the potential new approaches have for this patient population.

, Klawiter highlighted key points from other presentations, citing his interest in the recently FDA-approved treatments and looking at implications for patients who switch from oneB-cell depleting agent to another. Having treatments that are approved by the FDA for patients with NMOSD is another notable advance, he said, with presentations shedding light on progress that has been made in that sector.

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The director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital commented on presentations given at the recent event, as well as key takeaways from his own discussion on novel imaging approaches in multiple sclerosis. [WATCH TIME: 2 minutes]

Takeaways, Highlights From the Institutional Perspectives in Neurology: MS: Eric Klawiter, MD, MSc

“I also talked about several applications of high field strength MRI, so moving up to the 7-Tesla magnet strength, and now there are clinical 7T MRIs at some academic centers. I talked about how that could improve our evaluation of cortical pathology in multiple sclerosis.”

Neuroimaging had the potential to address specific clinical needs for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), with several techniques currently being evaluated in the field. At 

’s Institutional Perspectives in Neurology meeting on Feb 9, 2022, Eric Klawiter, MD, MSc, associate neurologist, and director, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, gave a presentation on these novel approaches and their implications for this patient population.

In his presentation, Klawiter, who is also an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, discussed the central vein sign approach, a diagnostic tool that may assist in differentiating MS from other conditions that cause changes in white matter. A particular advantage of this approach, he noted, is the ability to obtain information through a clinical MRI, while it presents a challenge in evaluating this on an automated basis. Klawiter further talked about potential of access to 7-Tesla MRI scanners to improve evaluation of cortical pathology, conceding that access to these devices may be limited, as they currently remain outnumbered by 3-Tesla MRI scanners.

The director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital outlined a presentation he gave at a recent Institutional Perspectives in Neurology: MS event. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Eric Klawiter, MD, MSc

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Takeaways, Highlights From the Institutional Perspectives in Neurology: MS: Eric Klawiter, MD, MSc

Discussing Novel Imaging Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis: Eric Klawiter, MD, MSc

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