[Neuromyelitis optica: problems of heterogeneity and systematization].

Prospective-retrospective data on 10 cases of neuromyelitis optica (NO) have been analyzed. Demographic and clinical features of patients with primary NO as well as NO comorbid with other organospecific disorders are discussed. Magnetic-resonance imaging data of the brain and spinal cord are summarized and discussed in the context of its heterogeneity. Positron emission tomography with the functional imaging of the brain performed in 3 patients revealed changes in glucose metabolism in the brain regions corresponding to deficits in motor and sensory functional systems. The issues of additional laboratory analyses, including those of cerebrospinal fluid, are reviewed.