• Douglas Kazutoshi Sato, Dagoberto Callegaro, Marco Aurélio Lana-Peixoto, Ichiro Nakashima, and Kazuo Fujihara.
• Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
• Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2014 Jun 1; 72 (6): 445-50.

AbstractNeuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are characterized by severe optic neuritis and/or longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis, and some brain lesions are also unique to NMOSD. Serum autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) are detected in most cases of NMOSD. However, some patients with NMOSD remain seronegative despite repetitive testing during attacks with highly sensitive cell-based assays. The differential diagnosis of NMOSD is not restricted to multiple sclerosis and it includes many diseases that can produce longitudinally extensive myelitis and/or optic neuritis. We review the clinical features, imaging, and laboratory findings that can be helpful on the diagnostic work-up, discuss the differences between AQP4 antibody positive and negative patients with NMOSD, including features of NMOSD with antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein.

21 keywords...

hide…