Managing your bladder with a suprapubic catheter A suprapubic catheter is inserted through your abdomen directly into your bladder. The procedure is usually carried out in Theatre by a surgeon.
Background: Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is a rare but severe disease affecting young adults with a mean age at onset of 34.5 years. The female: male ratio is 3:1 so most of patients are women of childbearing potential.
BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a disease of the CNS characterized by severe optic neuritis and longitudinally extended transverse myelitis. Recent studies suggest that anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies, NMO-specific biomarkers, are pathogenic and target AQP4-expressing astrocytes in NMO, although an additional event (T-cell response or infection) should occur for anti-AQP4 antibodies and complements to pass through the blood-brain barrier and cause the CNS lesions
It may be possible to save money by treating multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica with lower doses of rituximab, but the result may be a shorter period of effectiveness, according to one study.
OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) whose aquaporin 4 (AQP4) antibody levels increased following treatment with interferon beta. DESIGN: Prospective clinical and laboratory case report. SETTING: Institutional referral center for multiple sclerosis (MS)