[Role of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of monosymptomatic optic neuritis].

34 patients with monosymptomatic optic neuritis were examined ophthalmologically and by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In 18 patients subclinical lesions with a high MRI signal intensity were found. The distribution of these lesions was similar to that seen in multiple sclerosis. Neither the severity of the visual impairment nor the course of remission correlated to the MRI findings. Pathologic MRI findings were more common in patients aged over 27 than in younger patients (57% vs. 42%).