فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

   Background and Objectives: Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is a chronic immune-mediated disease characterized by recurrent neurological dysfunction. Ocrelizumab, a high-efficacy disease-modifying therapy, has shown significant benefits in reducing relapses and slowing disability progression. However, the relationship between spinal cord lesion dynamics and long-term outcomes in ocrelizumab-treated patients remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate lesion metrics in RRMS patients undergoing ocrelizumab treatment, focusing on longitudinal changes in total lesion burden, lesion disappearance dynamics, and their correlation with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) progression   Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on 84 female RRMS patients from Sina and Shahid Dr. Chamran medical centers in Tehran, Iran. Cervical MRI and clinical assessments were performed at baseline and 12-month follow-up. Lesion metrics, including total lesion number, lesion length, and lesioned segments per subject, were analyzed. Statistical models assessed associations between MRI findings and EDSS changes.   Results: At baseline, lesion burden was significantly associated with EDSS scores (P < 0.05). However, no significant longitudinal correlation was observed between lesion dynamics and disability progression. While ocrelizumab stabilized lesion burden and clinical outcomes, age emerged as an important predictor of EDSS progression (OR = 1.06, P = 0.02), underscoring its role in long-term disease evolution.   Conclusion: This study highlights the prognostic value of baseline spinal cord lesion assessment but suggests that lesion stability alone does not predict disability progression under ocrelizumab treatment. Age-related factors may play a more critical role in the MS disease course, emphasizing the need for multidimensional biomarkers integrating neurodegenerative and inflammatory mechanisms.