视神经脊髓炎与多发性硬化的关系

目的 探讨视神经脊髓炎的临床特点、病程、影像学特征及其与多发性硬化的区别。方法 对38例视神经脊髓炎的临床特点、影像学特征及诱发电位进行回顾性分析。结果 13例出现上呼吸道感染为主的前驱症状。31例急性和亚急性起病，女性多于男性，21～41岁发病29例(76．3％)。双侧视神经受损28例(73．6％)；脊髓横贯性损害31例(81．6％)，以颈、胸髓受损多见，脊髓病灶节段为3个以上者26例(68．4％)。其中18例为复发型，复发症状及病灶仅限于视神经和脊髓。结论 视神经脊髓炎有单相型及复发型，与多发性硬化不同，为一独立疾病。

Relevance of neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis

Objective To appraise the clinical features, course of disease and neuroimaging clearacteristics of neuromyelitis optica and its differentiation from multiple sclerosis.Methods The clinical symptoms, neuroimaging features and cerebral evoked potentials of 38 cases with neuromyelitis optica were analyzed retrospectively.Results In 13 cases, there was a history of viral infections prior to the onset of the disease. 31 cases of neuromyelitis optica were of acute or subacute onset. The disease occurred more frequently in female than in male. The age of onset in 29 cases (76.3%) ranged from 21 to 41 years; 28 patients (73.6%) suffered from bilateral impairment of optic nerve. Transverse injury of spinal cord was present in 31 cases (81.6%), among which the cervical and thoracic spinal cord were predominantly involved; 26 cases (68.4%) had 3 or more segments of spinal cord injury. Among them, 18 cases suffered from recurrence with the symptoms and focal lesions confining to the optic nerve and spinal cord.Conclusion Distinction from multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica is an independent disease of monophasic or recurrent nature.