MS Through History
Ian R. Young (1932-present)
The development of imaging techniques such as computerised tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have allowed major advances to be made in many areas of medical research.
Visualisation of the brain and spinal cord, and the lesions within them, was dramatically improved by the work of Ian Young. In 1981, Young published an article demonstrating the effective application of MRI in the diagnosis of MS.
Shown here are Young's original images comparing images produced by two different imaging techniques — CT (on the left) and MRI (on the right). The greater sensitivity of MRI is clearly visible. Five lesions can be seen in a brain which appears normal as imaged by CT.
Young accurately predicted the value of MRI in many aspects of MS management, observing:
[MRI] scanning promises to be of value both in patients presenting with symptoms and signs referable to the brain and in those in whom disease appears confined to the spinal cord. The technique may also provide a measure of the severity of disease ... and thus be used to monitor the effectiveness of therapeutic regimens.
Reproduced with permission from Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in multiple sclerosis, IR Young et al., The Lancet, Nov 14, 1981, p1063-5 Copyright The Lancet Ltd, 1981
