Should we treat pediatric radiologically isolated syndrome? An 18-year follow-up case report

Elena Barbuti; Riccardo Nistri; Antonio Ianniello; Carlo Pozzilli; Serena Ruggieri

doi:10.3389/fneur.2023.1145260

Should we treat pediatric radiologically isolated syndrome? An 18-year follow-up case report

Front Neurol. 2023 Apr 6:14:1145260. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1145260. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Elena Barbuti¹, Riccardo Nistri^{1

2}, Antonio Ianniello^{1

2}, Carlo Pozzilli^{1

2}, Serena Ruggieri^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ MS Center, S'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
² Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
³ Neuroimmunology Unit, IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.

Abstract

Background: Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) describes asymptomatic individuals with incidental radiologic abnormalities suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). Much of RIS literature is about adult-onset cases. Treatment of RIS is controversial, especially in pediatric age, but early treatment in selected patients might improve long-term outcomes.

Case presentation: We report a single RIS patient who followed up for 18 years in our MS center. At first, she was only monitored with follow-up MRIs. Then, as the lesion load increased, she was treated with a first-line disease-modifying treatment (DMT) reaching MRI stability.

Conclusion: This report highlights how treatment can be an appropriate choice in pediatric forms of RIS.

Keywords: RIS; children; multiple sclerosis; pediatric radiologically isolated syndrome; treatment.

Publication types

Case Reports