Table 8.

Transverse Myelitis Consortium Working group criteria for the idiopathic transverse myelitis

Inclusion Criteria	Exclusion Criteria
Neurologic impairment attributable to the spinal cord	History of radiation to the spine within 10 y
Bilateral signs or symptoms (may be asymmetric)	Anterior spinal artery distribution of deficits
Clearly defined sensory level	Abnormal flow voids on the spinal cord
Exclusion of extra-axial compressive etiology by neuroimaging	Serologic or clinical evidence of systemic autoimmune disease
Evidence of inflammation in the spinal cord (CSF cells or IgG index, or MRI gadolinium enhancement) seen at onset or within 7 d	CNS manifestations of infectious etiology (eg, syphilis, Lyme, HIV, HTLV-1, Mycoplasma)
Progressive worsening to a nadir between 4 h to 21 d after onset	Brain MRI lesions suggestive of MS
	History of optic neuritis

Abbreviations: CNS, central nervous system; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; HTLV, Human T-Lymphotropic Virus; Ig, immunoglobulin; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; MS, multiple sclerosis.

Data from Transverse Myelitis Consortium Group. Proposed diagnostic criteria and nosology of acute transverse myelitis. Neurology 2002;59:499–505.