[Acute bilateral amaurosis caused by autoimmune optic nerve neuritis].

BACKGROUND

The bilateral simultaneous optic neuritis is rarely associated with multiple sclerosis. Diagnosis and prognosis have to be dealt with independently.

PATIENT: A 45-year-old woman presented with an acute bilateral simultaneous amaurosis which developed within one day with bilateral papilledema. Initially there were positive antinuclear and anticytoplasmatic antibodies and antibodies against heart and skeletal muscles. The serum titer was elevated for immunoglobulin A, lowered for complement factors C3 and C4. Antigens for polio-virus type 3 and coxsackievirus type B5 and B3 were borderline positive. An oncologic, toxic or vascular cause of the neuritis was unlikely.

THERAPY AND COURSE: The amaurosis lasted for 4 days. Vision improved gradually under a combined therapy with steroids, antibiotics and virostatics. Nineteen months later the vision was 20/25 OD and 20/200 OS.

CONCLUSION

The acute bilateral neuritis was probably of autoimmunological origin. Under combined antiinfectious and steroidal therapy vision improved more than expected.