[Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of optic neuritis and neuropathy].

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in thirty patients who had been suffering from optic neuritis (ON). Twenty-one cases were caused by multiple sclerosis (MS) and in 9 cases the causes been defined. In MRI, abnormalities were found in 17 out of 21 MS cases in several places such as near the ventricles, mid-brain, spinal cord etc. Increased signals from the optic chiasm to optic radiation were found in 5 cases. However, abnormal MRI findings did not always correspond to Goldmann visual field defects. In 3 out of 9 cases of ON with unknown causes, high signals in the white matter of the brain were found, and it was suggested that those may develop to MS. MRI was, thus, proved to be very useful for the diagnosis of MS.