Use Dissemination in Space, Oligoclonal Bands, and Relapse Course to guide the working diagnosis and next step; let the main risk or management issue drive escalation, treatment choice, and follow-up.

These extra features are crucial because they help differentiate multiple sclerosis from chronic microvascular white matter disease, keeping the diagnosis highly specific.; However, they must be structurally precise—for example, a periventricular lesion must physically contact the lining of the ventricle to be counted.; Because it offers a diagnostic sensitivity that matches traditional oligoclonal band testing, it is gaining widespread acceptance as a valid alternative in modern diagnostic criteria.; Lesions located in the periventricular, juxtacortical or cortical, infratentorial, spinal cord, and optic nerve areas all qualify.; No, finding oligoclonal bands is not entirely exclusive to multiple sclerosis.