Background: Optic neuritis (ON) is a common first demyelinating event in multiple sclerosis (MS), and one of absolute clinical events to diagnose neuromyelitis optica (NMO). However, it seemed not all ON attacks are clinically evident.
OBJECTIVES: Spinal cord compression may be associated with a fusiform cord lesion on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images, leading to confusion with transverse myelitis and delaying effective surgical treatment. RESULTS: We describe 5 patients referred for evaluation of suspected neuromyelitis optica in whom the final diagnosis was symptomatic cervical spinal stenosis.
BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a severe autoimmune disease targeting optic nerves and spinal cord. The monoclonal anti-CD20 B-cell antibody rituximab is an emerging therapeutic option in NMO. However, neither long-term efficacy or safety of rituximab, nor the correlation between B-cell counts, B-cell fostering cytokines, aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-ab), and disease activity in NMO, have been investigated prospectively
To evaluate the role of infections in the development of neuromyelitis optica (NMO), 19 patients positive for anti-aquaporin-4 antibody were screened for 24 viral and bacterial infections.