title: The investigation of acute optic neuritis: a review and proposed protocol.
abstract: Optic neuritis is an inflammatory optic neuropathy that affects many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at some point during their disease course. Differentiation of acute episodes of MS-associated optic neuritis from other autoimmune and inflammatory optic neuropathies is vital for treatment choice and further patient management, but is not always straightforward. Over the past decade, a number of new imaging, laboratory and electrophysiological techniques have entered the clinical arena. To date, however, no consensus guidelines have been devised to specify how and when these techniques can be most rationally applied for the diagnostic work-up of patients with acute optic neuritis. In this article, we review the literature and attempt to formulate a consensus for the investigation of patients with acute optic neuritis, both in standard care and in research with relevance to clinical treatment trials.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petzold
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mike P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Wattjes
authors.affiliation: University of Calgary, Canada.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Costello
authors.affiliation: The National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flores-Rivera
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Clare L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.affiliation: Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujihara
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leavitt
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Neurologique Pierre Wertheimer, Bron Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marignier
authors.affiliation: NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Friedemann
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schippling
authors.affiliation: Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sindic
authors.affiliation: August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS)-Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Villoslada
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weinshenker
authors.affiliation: Moorfields Eye Hospital and The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK.
authors.forename: Gordon T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Plant
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008487:Medical History Taking; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence