Diagnostic value of NMO-IgG in demyelinating diseases of central nervous system

The aquaporin 4 (AQP4) plays an important role in the maintenance of transmembrane water transfer, blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity and homeostasis of central nervous system, and its highly specific autoantibody NMO-IgG has been used as a specific biomarker of neuromyelitis optica. However, in recent years, several studies have found that the positive rate in patients with neuromyelitis optica is not 100%, and it even can be detected in some other demyelinating diseases of central nervous system. This paper aims to make a review of the diagnostic value of NMO-IgG in demyelinating diseases of central nervous system, in order to deepen the understanding of this antibody and guide the clinical diagnosis and differential diagnosis on demyelinating diseases of central nervous system. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2016.09.006