Section Editor: Sandy Cheng-Yu Chen, M.D.
Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Figure Caption
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), previously known as Devic’s syndrome, is a severe form of inflammatory demyelinating disease, causing recurrent blindness attacks and paralysis. The disease is characterized by older age of onset, female preponderance, and the presence of IgG autoantibody (NMO-Aquaporin 4) in the CSF, which can be used to differentiate NMO from multiple sclerosis. NMO can be monophasic or relapsing. The classic MR imaging findings include a lengthy demyelinating spinal cord lesion more than 3 vertebral body segments (arrow in A) with gadolinium enhancement (arrows in B) and optic neuritis (arrows in C, indicating atrophy of optic chiasm), while brain MRI is often normal (D).