Persistently Gadolinium-Enhancing Lesion Is a Predictor of Poor Prognosis in NMOSD Attack: a Clinical Trial

Spinal Cord Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders

Spinal cord MRI plays an important role in the diagnosis and prognosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and related disorders. The ANATOMICAL, pathologic, imaging and prognostic consideriations for the spinal cord for MS and the most important other demyelinating disorders, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disease, are reviewed. Finally, differential diagnostic considerations of spinal cord MRI in MS and related disorders are discussed.

Asymptomatic spinal lesions in patients with AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD: A real-world cohort study

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the frequency and influencing factors of asymptomatic spinal lesions (ASLs) and their impact on subsequent relapses in patients with AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD (AQP4-NMOSD) in a real-world setting.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed clinical information and spinal MRI data from AQP4-NMOSD patients who had at least one spinal cord MRI during their follow-ups. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were employed to ascertain potential predictors of remission ASLs and to investigate factors associated with subsequent relapses.

RESULTS

In this study, we included 129 patients with AQP4-NMOSD and reviewed 173 spinal MRIs during attacks and 89 spinal MRIs during remission. Among these, 6 ASLs (3.5%) were identified during acute attacks, while 8 ASLs (9%) were found during remission. Remission ASLs were linked to the use of immunosuppressive agents, particularly conventional ones, whereas no patients using rituximab developed ASLs (p = 0.005). Kaplan-Meier curve analysis indicated that patients with ASLs had a significantly higher relapse risk (HR = 4.658, 95% CI: 1.519-14.285, p = 0.007) compared to those without. Additionally, the use of mycophenolate mofetil (HR = 0.027, 95% CI: 0.003-0.260, p = 0.002) and rituximab (HR = 0.035, 95% CI: 0.006-0.203, p < 0.001) significantly reduced the relapse risk. However, after accounting for other factors, the presence of ASLs did not exhibit a significant impact on subsequent relapses (HR = 2.297, 95% CI: 0.652-8.085, p = 0.195).

INTERPRETATION

ASLs may be observed in patients with AQP4-NMOSD. The presence of ASLs may signify an underlying inflammatory activity due to insufficient immunotherapy. The administration of immunosuppressive agents plays a key role in the presence of remission ASLs and the likelihood of subsequent relapses.

Update on the diagnosis and treatment of neuromyelits optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) - revised recommendations of the Neuromyelitis Optica Study Group (NEMOS). Part I: Diagnosis and differential diagnosis

The term 'neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders' (NMOSD) is used as an umbrella term that refers to aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG)-positive neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and its formes frustes and to a number of closely related clinical syndromes without AQP4-IgG. NMOSD were originally considered subvariants of multiple sclerosis (MS) but are now widely recognized as disorders in their own right that are distinct from MS with regard to immunopathogenesis, clinical presentation, optimum treatment, and prognosis. In part 1 of this two-part article series, which ties in with our 2014 recommendations, the neuromyelitis optica study group (NEMOS) gives updated recommendations on the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of NMOSD. A key focus is on differentiating NMOSD from MS and from myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated encephalomyelitis (MOG-EM; also termed MOG antibody-associated disease, MOGAD), which shares significant similarity with NMOSD with regard to clinical and, partly, radiological presentation, but is a pathogenetically distinct disease. In part 2, we provide updated recommendations on the treatment of NMOSD, covering all newly approved drugs as well as established treatment options.

Expression and Clinical Correlation Analysis Between Repulsive Guidance Molecule a and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders

Objectives

This study sought to explore the expression patterns of repulsive guidance molecules a (RGMa) in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and to explore the correlation between RGMa and the clinical features of NMOSD.

Methods

A total of 83 NMOSD patients and 22 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the study from October 2017 to November 2021. Clinical parameters, including Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, degree of MRI enhancement, and AQP4 titer were collected. The expression of serum RGMa was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared across the four patient groups. The correlation between serum RGMa levels and different clinical parameters was also assessed.

Results

The average serum expression of RGMa in the NMOSD group was significantly higher than that in the HC group (p < 0.001). Among the patient groups, the acute phase group exhibited significantly higher serum RGMa levels than did the remission group (p < 0.001). A multivariate analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between RGMa expression and EDSS score at admission, degree of MRI enhancement, and segmental length of spinal cord lesions. There was a significant negative correlation between the expression of RGMa in NMOSD and the time from attack to sampling or delta EDSS.

Conclusions

The current study suggests that RGMa may be considered a potential biomarker predicting the severity, disability, and clinical features of NMOSD.

MRI Prognostic Factors in Multiple Sclerosis, Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder, and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Antibody Disease

Several MRI measures have been developed in the last couple of decades, providing a number of imaging biomarkers that can capture the complexity of the pathological processes occurring in multiple sclerosis (MS) brains. Such measures have provided more specific information on the heterogeneous pathologic substrate of MS-related tissue damage, being able to detect, and quantify the evolution of structural changes both within and outside focal lesions. In clinical practise, MRI is increasingly used in the MS field to help to assess patients during follow-up, guide treatment decisions and, importantly, predict the disease course. Moreover, the process of identifying new effective therapies for MS patients has been supported by the use of serial MRI examinations in order to sensitively detect the sub-clinical effects of disease-modifying treatments at an earlier stage than is possible using measures based on clinical disease activity. However, despite this has been largely demonstrated in the relapsing forms of MS, a poor understanding of the underlying pathologic mechanisms leading to either progression or tissue repair in MS as well as the lack of sensitive outcome measures for the progressive phases of the disease and repair therapies makes the development of effective treatments a big challenge. Finally, the role of MRI biomarkers in the monitoring of disease activity and the assessment of treatment response in other inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte antibody disease (MOGAD) is still marginal, and advanced MRI studies have shown conflicting results. Against this background, this review focused on recently developed MRI measures, which were sensitive to pathological changes, and that could best contribute in the future to provide prognostic information and monitor patients with MS and other inflammatory demyelinating diseases, in particular, NMOSD and MOGAD.

Comparisons of clinical phenotype, radiological and laboratory features, and therapy of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder by regions: update and challenges

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) associated with autoantibody (ab) to aquaporin-4 (AQP4). There is obvious variation between regions and countries in the epidemiology, clinical features and management in NMOSD. Based on published population-based observation and cohort studies, the different clinical pattern of NMOSD has been seen in several geographical regions and some of these patients with NMOSD-like features do not fully meet the current diagnostic criteria, which is needed to consider the value of recently revised diagnostic criteria. At present, all treatments applied in NMOSD have made great progress, however, these treatments failed in AQP4 ab negative and refractory patients. Therefore, it is necessary to turn into an innovative idea and to open a new era of NMOSD treatment to develop novel and diverse targets and effective therapeutic drugs in NMOSD and to conduct the trails in large clinical samples and case-control studies to confirm their therapeutic effects on NMOSD in the future, which still remain a challenge.

Magnetic resonance imaging in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) associated with antibodies to aquaporin-4 (AQP4), which has distinct clinical, radiological and pathological features, but also has some overlap with multiple sclerosis and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody associated disease. Early recognition of NMOSD is important because of differing responses to both acute and preventive therapy. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has proved essential in this process. Key MR imaging clues to the diagnosis of NMOSD are longitudinally extensive lesions of the optic nerve (more than half the length) and spinal cord (three or more vertebral segments), bilateral optic nerve lesions and lesions of the optic chiasm, area postrema, floor of the IV ventricle, periaqueductal grey matter, hypothalamus and walls of the III ventricle. Other NMOSD-specific lesions are denoted by their unique morphology: heterogeneous lesions of the corpus callosum, 'cloud-like' gadolinium (Gd)-enhancing white matter lesions and 'bright spotty' lesions of the spinal cord. Other lesions described in NMOSD, including linear periventricular peri-ependymal lesions and patch subcortical white matter lesions, may be less specific. The use of advanced MR imaging techniques is yielding further useful information regarding focal degeneration of the thalamus and optic radiation in NMOSD and suggests that paramagnetic rim patterns and changes in normal appearing white matter are specific to MS. MR imaging is crucial in the early recognition of NMOSD and in directing testing for AQP4 antibodies and guiding immediate acute treatment decisions. Increasingly, MR imaging is playing a role in diagnosing seronegative cases of NMOSD.