Clinical outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with optic neuritis related to NMOSD and MOGAD in distinct ethnic groups from Latin America.

Background: Optic neuritis (ON) can be an initial manifestation of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) associated with aquaporin 4-antibody (AQP4-Ab) or myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody (MOG-Ab)-associated disease (MOGAD). Additionally, both diseases may have overlapping paraclinical and radiological features. These diseases may have different outcomes and prognoses.

Therapeutic strategies in NMOSD and MOGAD patients: A multicenter cohort study in Latin America.

Purpose: This study describes the therapeutic strategies in NMOSD and MOGAD adopted by neurologists to treat both conditions in Latin America (LATAM) with main focus on rituximab (RTX) and the disease outcome.

Methods: retrospective study in a cohort of NMOSD and MOGAD patients followed in specialized MS/NMOSD centers from eight countries and 14 LATAM reference centers. Demographics and clinical characteristics were collected.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders with and without associated autoimmune diseases.

Objectives: We aimed to determinate the frequency of this association and compare the features of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) with and without associated autoimmune diseases (AD) in a Latin American (LATAM) population in clinical practice.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with NMOSD according to the 2015 diagnostic criteria. Patients from Argentina (n=77), Brazil (n=46), and Venezuela (n=17) were enrolled and classified into two groups as follows: with AD or without AD.

Frequency of NMOSD misdiagnosis in a cohort from Latin America: Impact and evaluation of different contributors.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) misdiagnosis (i.e. the incorrect diagnosis of patients who truly have NMOSD) remains an issue in clinical practice.

Towards imaging criteria that best differentiate MS from NMOSD and MOGAD: Large multi-ethnic population and different clinical scenarios.

Background: The "1/3″ brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) criteria including 1) a lesion adjacent to the lateral ventricle and in the inferior temporal lobe, or 2) a juxtacortical lesion, or 3) a Dawson finger-type lesion were shown to distinguish multiple sclerosis (MS) from antibody-mediated conditions. In this large multicentre study, we aimed to assess how the criteria perform 1) in different onset phenotypes, 2) distinct ethnic groups, 3) when the absence of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody (MOG-Ab)-associated disease (MOGAD)-typical fluffy infratentorial (FIT) lesions and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) lesions are added as features ("2/4″ and 3/5″ criteria, respectively).

Methods: 577 patients with MS (n = 332), aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-Ab) neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) (n = 196) and MOGAD (n = 49) were recruited from 6 international centres (Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, Maracaibo, Goyang, Oxford and Milan).

Chiasmatic lesions on conventional magnetic resonance imaging during the first event of optic neuritis in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disease in a Latin American cohort.

Background And Purpose: Optic neuritis (ON) is often the initial symptom of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disease (MOGAD). We aimed to compare the frequency and pattern of chiasmatic lesions in MOGAD-related ON (MOGAD-ON) and NMOSD-related ON (NMOSD-ON) using conventional brain imaging (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) in Latin America (LATAM).

Methods: We reviewed the medical records and brain MRI (≤30 days from ON onset) of patients with a first event of MOGAD-ON and NMOSD-ON.

Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography in Neuromyelitis Optica.

Background And Objectives: To determine optic nerve and retinal damage in aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG)-seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) in a large international cohort after previous studies have been limited by small and heterogeneous cohorts.

Methods: The cross-sectional Collaborative Retrospective Study on retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) in neuromyelitis optica collected retrospective data from 22 centers. Of 653 screened participants, we included 283 AQP4-IgG-seropositive patients with NMOSD and 72 healthy controls (HCs).

Epidemiological findings of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders in a Venezuelan study.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), is a rare autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Since the countries of Latin America (LATAM) show contrast in geographic, social, environmental factors, and genetic heterogeneity, the information about NMOSD epidemiology in the region allows a better understanding of the disease and its clinical outcome.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence, relative frequency (RF), and clinical characteristics of NMOSD in a multiethnic Venezuelan cohort of patients with demyelinating disorders.

Cohort profile: a collaborative multicentre study of retinal optical coherence tomography in 539 patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (CROCTINO).

Purpose: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) captures retinal damage in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). Previous studies investigating OCT in NMOSD have been limited by the rareness and heterogeneity of the disease. The goal of this study was to establish an image repository platform, which will facilitate neuroimaging studies in NMOSD.

Latin American consensus recommendations for management and treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders in clinical practice.

Background: During the last two decades, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) has undergone important changes, with new diagnostic markers and criteria, better recognition of clinical phenotypes, better disease prognosis and new therapeutic approaches. Consequently, management of NMOSD patients in Latin American (LATAM) has become more complex and challenging in clinical practice. In making these consensus recommendations, the aim was to review how the disease should be managed and treated among LATAM patients, in order to improve long-term outcomes in these populations.

Brain magnetic resonance imaging features in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders patients with or without aquaporin-4 antibody in a Latin American population.

Introduction: There is scarce evidence comparing the behavior in magnetic resonance (MRI) between positive and negative aquaporin-4 antibody neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (P-NMOSD and NNMOSD, respectively). The aim of this study was to describe and compare MRI features through a quantitative and qualitative analysis between P-NMOSD and NNMOSD patients in a cohort from Latin American (LATAM) patients.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the MRI and medical records of NMOSD patients as defined by the 2015 validated diagnostic criteria, and with at least 3 years of follow-up from disease onset (first symptom).

Clinical features and prognosis of late-onset neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders in a Latin American cohort.

Background: We aimed to assess the clinical, paraclinical, imaging and prognostic features of patients with late-onset neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (LO-NMOSD; ≥ 50 years at disease onset) LO-NMOSD, compared with early onset-NMOSD (EO-NMOSD, ≤ 49 years at disease onset), in Latin American (LATAM).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with NMOSD, as defined using the 2015 validated diagnostic criteria. We included patients from Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.

Brain and spinal MRI features distinguishing MS from different AQP4 antibody serostatus NMOSD at disease onset in a cohort of Latin American patients.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) previously used criteria (Matthews's criteria, MC) for differentiating multiple sclerosis (MS) from neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) in Caucasian and non-Caucasian populations (Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela) with positive (P-NMOSD), negative (N-NMOSD), and unknown (U-NMOSD) aquaporin-4 antibody serostatus at disease onset and to assess the added diagnostic value of spinal cord MRI in these populations.

Methods: We reviewed medical records, and MRIs were assessed by two blinded evaluators and were scored using MC. Short-segment transverse myelitis (STM) was added as a new criterion.

Short-segment transverse myelitis lesions in a cohort of Latin American patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.

Study Design: Multicenter retrospective study.

Objectives: The aim was to determine the frequency and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of short-segment transverse myelitis (STM) in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) during a myelitis attack.

Setting: Latin American diagnostic centres (Neuroimmunology Unit).

Frequency of brain MRI abnormalities in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder at presentation: A cohort of Latin American patients.

Background: Brain magnetic resonance imaging (BMRI) lesions were classically not reported in neuromyelitis optica (NMO). However, BMRI lesions are not uncommon in NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients.

Objective: To report BMRI characteristic abnormalities (location and configuration) in NMOSD patients at presentation.

Central Nervous System Idiopathic Inflammatory Demyelinating Disorders in South Americans: A Descriptive, Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study.

The idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating disease (IIDD) spectrum has been investigated among different populations, and the results have indicated a low relative frequency of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) among multiple sclerosis (MS) cases in whites (1.2%-1.5%), increasing in Mestizos (8%) and Africans (15.