OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical characteristics, course, and prognosis of optic neuritis in recurrent neuromyelitis optica. METHODS We analyzed 60 patients diagnosed using 1999 Mayo Clinic criteria who were seen between 1985 and 2004 at Hospital da Lagoa (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). RESULTS Optic neuritis was the initial feature in 53.3% of patients, most with unilateral disease. Recurrent ...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare syndrome of severe inflammatory demyelination of the central nervous system, causing attacks of optic neuritis and transverse myelitis. Although uncommon, attention should be given to the proper identification and management of the affected patients. We present a case of a 13-year-old girl with severe neuromyelitis optica. The patient's initial presentation ...

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is rarely associated with multiple sclerosis-like features. We present a case of a 65-year-old African American woman with LHON masquerading as neuromyelitis optica (NMO). We highlight the features of the clinical examination and MRI that were suggestive of an alternative diagnosis and review the literature regarding LHON and multiple sclerosis. The diag...

Deaths of clinical miss-diagnosed diseases are caused by various reasons. Similar symptoms shared by different diseases and the recent medical history could affect the judgement of clinicians sometimes, especially when the disease is unusually found. We present a case of sudden death in hospital. Patient was admitted with sudden visual loss and quadriplegia. He died suddenly without certain pat...

Myelitis and optic neuritis are prototypic clinical presentations of both multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica. Once considered a subtype of multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, is now known to have a discrete pathogenesis in which antibodies to the water channel, aquaporin 4, play a critical role. Timely differentiation of neuromyelitis optica from MS is imperative, determining bot...

Introduction: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory central nervous system (CNS) disorder which predominately affects the optic nerves, chiasm, tract and spinal cord. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic brain lesions have been reported. We describe a patient with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) with suspected prior thoracic cord ependymoma and unusual radiological picture. ...

Transverse myelitis is a focal inflammatory disorder of the spinal cord which may arise due to different etiologies. Transverse myelitis may be idiopathic or related/secondary to other diseases including infections, connective tissue disorders and other autoimmune diseases. It may be also associated with optic neuritis (neuromyelitis optica), which may precede transverse myelitis. In this manus...

Devic’s neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that results in optic neuropathy and myelitis. Optic neuritis represents mode entry into more than two thirds cases. It entity children. There no effective treatment at present, but some molecules can be used, such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressants plasma exchange. The prognosis children general...

A 33-year-old African-American woman recently diagnosed with severe idiopathic gastroparesis was readmitted for hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to aspiration pneumonia. A fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallow study revealed severe pharyngeal dysphagia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed an ill-defined lesion in the posterior aspect of the medulla concerning for a demyelinating...