Cerebrospinal fluid and neuropathological study in Devic's syndrome. Evidence of intrathecal immune activation.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was studied in 2 cases of Devic's syndrome (DS). In one of these cases autopsy was carried out. The main CSF feature in DS is the association of blood-brain barrier damage and intrathecal IgG synthesis. These findings are in keeping with our neuropathological observation of diffuse central nervous system vasculitis and leptomeningitis. As a whole, our CSF and neuropathological findings in DS are consistently different from those in multiple sclerosis.