Devic's Syndrome Criteria

05 November 2004

Diagnosis requires all absolute criteria & 1 major criterion or 2 minor criteria.

Absolute criteria

1. Optic neuritis

2. Acute myelitis

3. No evidence of clinical disease outside of the nerve or spinal cord.

Supportive criteria

Major

1. Negative brain MRI at onset (ie does not meet criteria of Paty)

2. Spinal cord MRI with signal abnormality extending over 3 vertebral segments.

3. CSF pleocytosis >50 WBC/mm³  or >5 neut/mm³.

Minor

1. Bilateral optic neuritis

2. Severe optic neuritis with fixed visual acuity worse than 20/200 in at least one eye.

3. Severe, fixed, attack related weakness MRC<2 in one or more limbs.

References:

Wingerchuk DM, Hogancamp WF, O'Brien P & Weinshenker BG  The clinical course of neuromyelitis optica (Devic's syndrome)  Neurology1999; 53: 1107.