The Clinical Study On 161 Multiple Sclerosis Cases And 33 Neuromyelitis Optica Cases

Objective: To summarize the clinical,imaging and neuroelectrophysiolo- gical characteristics of MS and NMO.Methods: We have retrospectively studied the characteristics of 161 MS cases and 33 NMO cases on clinic, imaging, neuroelectrophysiology and so on so forth.Results: Among 161 MS cases ,there are 54 in male and 107 in female;Among 33 NMO cases ,there are 6 in male and 27 in female.The first onset age are from 4 to 77 years old among MS cases;from 16 to 68 years old in NMO cases. Before illness,9 MS cases have evoking factors in which 66.7% are relevant to infections;1 NMO case had contracted hyperthyreosis before illness,and none is relevant to infections. Weakness, paresthesia and visual extinction are the most common initial symptoms in MS cases;among 33 NMO cases, initial symptoms of 25 cases is visual extinction. 71.3% have acute and subacute courses in MS cases; in NMO cases,66.7% have acute and subacute courses.The location of the lesions have 116 cases in spinal cord,62 cases in brain stem, 8 cases in cerebellum,85 cases in cerebral hemisphere and 68 cases in optic nerve.Conclusions: The onset age of MS is younger than that of NMO,female patients of NMO and MS are both more than male patients. Weakness is the most common initial symptoms in MS cases. Spinal cord and cerebral hemisphere are easy to be invasived. In NMO cases, optical nerve and spinal cord are invasived at the same time or one after another. Evoked potentials, Magnetic resonance imaging of brain and spinal cord may make for the differential diagnosis.