Table 1 Characteristics of brainstems lesions in NMO patients (31)
Clinical manifestations | Anti-AQP4 antibodies positive | Anti-AQP4 antibodies negative | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of patients = 18 | Number of patients = 13 | |||||||||||
MRI of brain | At disease onset | At follow-up | At disease onset | At follow-up | ||||||||
Normal | 8 | 2 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
Non-specific changes | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | ||||||||
MS-like changes* | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | ||||||||
Topological distribution of Brainstem lesions** | F/m | Sym | Asym | EDDS | F/m | Sym | Asym | EDDS | ||||
2-4 | 5-7 | 8-9 | 2-4 | 5-7 | 8-9 | |||||||
Medulla oblongata | 10/2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4/2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Area postrema | 6/2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1/2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Pons | 6/1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2/1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Mesencephalon | 2/1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3/1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Hypothalamic and thalamic | 5/0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1/1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |