McDonald criteria

The McDonald criteria are diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis. In April 2001 an international panel in association with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) of America recommended revised diagnostic criteria for ms. They make use of advances in MRI imaging techniques and are intended to replace the Poser criteria and the older Schumacher criteria. The new criteria facilitate the diagnosis of MS in patients who present with signs and symptoms suggestive of the disease. These include monosymptomatic disease, disease with a typical relapsing-remitting course or insidious progression but no clear attacks and remissions.

The McDonald criteria for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis were revised in 2005 to clarify exactly what is meant by an "attack," "dissemination," a "positive MRI," etc (Polman et al 2005).