[Devic's neuromyelitis optica: diagnosis after 10 years of bilateral severe relapsing optic neuritis]

Abstract

Introduction: Neuromyelitis optica, also known as Devic's disease, is a severe idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that preferentially affects the optic nerve and spinal cord. Neuromyelitis optica has long been thought of as a variant of multiple sclerosis; however, clinical, laboratory, immunological, and pathological characteristics that distinguish it from multiple sclerosis have now been recognized.

Case report: A young man presented isolated severe bilateral relapsing optic neuritis. After having evolved over 10 years, the appearance of multiple sclerosis-like lesions on the brain led to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Acute myelitis and the presence of NMO-IgG antibodies in the serum finally led to the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica.

Conclusion: This case is an illustration of the new criteria in the diagnosis of NMO, underscoring the importance of the positive serum NMO-Ig G antibody to distinguish multiple sclerosis from NMO. It also emphasizes that asymptomatic brain lesions are common in NMO on brain MRIs and symptomatic brain lesions do not exclude its diagnosis.