Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder presenting as Brown-Sequard syndrome

Introduction: brown – sequard syndrome (bss) presents with features of ipsilateral motor function loss and contralateral loss of pain and temperature. It is most commonly caused from trauma/stab injuries and is also known to be be caused by multiple sclerosis. Here, we are presenting a rare case of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOsD) presenting as brown – sequard syndrome. case report: A 70-year-old female presented the emergency room with a 2–3 day history of abrupt onset weakness in her left leg. Magnetic resonance imaging (MrI) scan of the spine showed t2 hyperintense signal seen within the upper thoracic cord centered at t2–t5 level with mild expansion of the cord. A diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) spectrum disorder was made based on positive AQP4 antibody titres. conclusion: this case underscores the clinical diversity of NMO spectrum disorder, and suggests that we should probably be checking NMO antibody status in more patients with unexplained myelopathy. Abhinav Agrawal1, Dennis Lourdusamy1, Abhishek Agarwal2, Neil R. Holland3 Affiliations: 1Department of Internal Medicine, Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, New Jersey, USA; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey, USA; 3Section of Neurology, Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, New Jersey, USA. Corresponding Author: Abhinav Agrawal, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, New Jersey-07740, USA; Email: abhinav72@gmail.com, abagrawal@barnabashealth.org Received: 19 December 2014 Accepted: 03 March 2015 Published: 23 March 2015