title: [Idiopathic acute transverse myelitis: application of new diagnosis criteria to 17 patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Idiopathic Acute Transverse Myelitis (ATM) is an inflammatory and immune-mediated disorder, distinct from infectious ATM, ATM of systemic lupus erythematosus or Sjögren's syndrome, and medullary manifestation of multiple sclerosis. Prognosis is not well-known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate clinical, paraclinical and pronognosis data in patients selected with new diagnosis criteria, classically described in idiopathic ATM.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients with diagnosis criteria were retrospectively (1996-2005) studied. A telephone investigation was conducted in 2005 to obtained data on the clinical course.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven men and 10 women, ranging in age from 15 to 75 years (mean: 39.8 years) met these new criteria. Our study showed that epidemiological and clinical findings as well as laboratory results were in agreement with those presented in the literature. Conversely, prognosis was better since 76p.cent of the patients could walk without assistance. The clinical presentation of some of our patients and/or their progression towards other multifocal inflammatory disorders, suggests there might be links between ATM, neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and Acute Dissemined Encephalomyelitis (ADEM).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with idiopathic ATM, selected with new criteria, have a rather good prognosis. ATM seems to be part of a continuum of neuroimmunologic disorders including NMO or ADEM although reasons explaining distinct focal disorders remain unclear.
authors.affiliation: Pôle de Neurologie médicale et chirurgicale, Hôpital Laennec, CHU de Nantes, Saint-Herblain, France. caroline.lanctin-garcia@chu-nantes.fr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lanctin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wiertlewski
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Verny
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Derkinderen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Damier
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dubas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009188:Myelitis, Transverse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology