VISUAL FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH OPTIC NEURITIS ASSOCIATED WITH ACUTETRANSVERSE MYELOPATHY IN MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS

The authors reviewed the records of 20 patients with optic neuritis, a ll of whom were diagnosed as having clinically definite multiple scler osis (MS). They were classified into two subgroups: Group A, consistin g of 9 patients who had shown acute transverse myelopathy (ATM); and G roup B, 11 patients without ATM. Four patients (44%) in Group A had co mplete visual loss, but none in Group B. Six patients (67%) in Group A had less than 0.1 visual acuity in the affected eye, but only 2 patie nts (18%) in Group B. Four patients in Group A showed evidence of anti cardiolipin antibodies. While both groups were diagnosed as having cli nically definite MS, there were differences between them in the clinic al features. We assume that the patients with ATM may constitute a dif ferent subgroup among MS patients.