Pathological observations of a long spinal cord lesion in a patient with multiple sclerosis

We report an autopsy case of multiple sclerosis (MS) manifesting as a long spinal cord lesion. The patient was a Japanese woman. At the age of 59 years, she presented with a one-month history of progressive paraplegia, dysesthesia in the lower extremities, and urinary retention. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a long, hyperintense lesion on T2-weighted images that extended from the inferior portion of the medulla oblongata to the cervical segments of the spinal cord and an isolated lesion at the T6 level. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination revealed the presence of oligoclonal bands and increased myelin basic protein levels (999 pg/mL). Serum antibody against aquaporin 4 (AQP4) was undetectable in this patient. She was diagnosed as having atypical MS and experienced symptom improvement following immunotherapy with corticosteroids and plasma exchange. She died of pneumonia and renal failure at the age of 62 years. Postmortem examination revealed a long demyelinating lesion that extended from the inferior portion of the medulla oblongata to the sacral segments of the spinal cord. The lesion was comprised of numerous demyelinating plaques with inflammatory cell infiltration. A long spinal cord lesion is usually indicative of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and there are limited reports of postmortem observations of long spinal cord lesions among patients with anti-AQP4 antibody-seronegative MS. Our findings suggest that the pathomechanisms of such long spinal cord lesion formation differ between anti-AQP4 antibody-seronegative MS and NMOSD.