Visual function in patients with optic neuritis associated with acute transverse myelopathy in multiple sclerosis

The authors reviewed the records of 20 patients with optic neuritis, all of whom were diagnosed as having clinically definite multiple sclerosis (MS). They were classified into two subgroups: Group A, consisting of 9 patients who had shown acute transverse myelopathy (ATM); and Group B, 11 patients without ATM. Four patients (44%) in Group A had complete 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 patients (18%) in Group B. Four patients in Group A showed evidence of anticardiolipin antibodies. While both groups were diagnosed as having clinically definite MS, there were differences between them in the clinical features. We assume that the patients with ATM may constitute a different subgroup among MS patients.