Optic neuritis, brain stem syndromes and myelitis: rapid conversion to multiple sclerosis
Tintoré, M.; Rovira, A.; Hernández, D.; Río, J.; Marzo, M.E.; Montalban, X.
Medicina Clinica 112(18): 693-694
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-7753 PMID: 10374200 Document Number: 498318
To establish the early risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) following isolated demyelinating syndromes. 36 patients with optic neuritis, 24 with brainstem syndromes, 27 with spinal cord syndromes and 8 patients with a poliregional syndrome were included in a prospective protocol: including clinical data, immunological determinations, oligoclonal bands, visual, somestesic and brainstem evoked potentials and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study. MRI showed the presence of signal abnormalities in 70% of the patients. The conversion rate (CR) was 18.5%. In patients with a normal MRI, CR was 4% compared to 26% in patients with an abnormal MRI (p = 0.05). The early conversion rate to MS is significantly increased when MRI is abnormal.