Diagnostic investigations in MS: which is the most sensitive?

In an attempt to establish the efficacy of the different diagnostic tests, 41 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at different stages of the disease were studied by means of visual evoked potential (VEP) recording, T-lymphocyte subset determination cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MR and CSF oligoclonal bands (OB) were the most sensitive techniques for the diagnosis of MS, being positive in 88% of patients, while VEP and helper/suppressor (H/S) T-cell ratio were altered in 54% and 46% of patients respectively. Low significant agreement coefficient were found among the 4 tests and the major value, even though "fairly" significant, was between MR and OB.