BACKGROUND: The clinical and radiological characteristics of @entity602 in @entity15 ( @entity15 ) are relatively well known. Nevertheless, it remains difficult for the clinician to ascertain conversion to @entity15 after a first episode of @entity5697 ( @entity5697 ). OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to define predictive factors for conversion to clinically definite @entity15 after an @entity5697 and to define predictive factors for disease severity. @entity1 AND METHODS: Between 1994 and 2001, we prospectively included 55 @entity1 presenting with a first episode of @entity5697 . Three @entity1 were lost during the follow-up. We evaluated clinical signs, spinal cord and brain MRI, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and visual evoked potentials on admission. After a mean followup of 35 months (range 12-86), we evaluated the diagnosis and, among the @entity15 group, the severity of the disease. RESULTS: Of the 52 @entity5697 @entity1 who completed the study, 30 became clinically definite @entity15 . The predictive factors for conversion to @entity15 were: initial sensory symptoms, latero-posterior spinal cord lesion, abnormal brain MRI and oligoclonal bands in CSF. In the @entity15 group, the number of spinal cord lesions on MRI was the only predictive factor for a poor outcome, being statistically correlated with a higher number of relapses. CONCLUSION: On the basis of our results, we propose that, in @entity1 with @entity5697 , sensory symptoms, @entity75 are predictive factors for subsequent conversion to clinically definite @entity15 and that within the latter @entity1 the number of spinal cord lesions on MRI is the only predictive factor for a poor outcome.

Prospective study of @entity1 presenting with XXXX .

@entity5697 :: ('MESH:D009188', 'Disease') :: ['APTM', 'acute partial transverse myelopathy'] @entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'PATIENTS'] @entity75 :: ('MESH:D001927', 'Disease') :: ['oligoclonal bands and brain MRI'] @entity602 :: ('MESH:D013118', 'Disease') :: ['myelopathy'] @entity15 :: ('MESH:D009103', 'Disease') :: ['MS', 'multiple sclerosis']
@entity5697 :: (MESH:D009188,Disease) :: ['acute partial transverse myelopathy']
