Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), also known as Devic's disease, is a disease of the spinal cord that can cause paralysis and vision loss. It is named after the man who first documented the symptom related to the disorder. NMO was long thought to be a variant of multiple sclerosis and is commonly diagnosed as MS. Anywhere from 10 to 60 percent of MS cases are actually Devic's. Misdiagnosed patients are given treatments that are normally ineffective and possibly harmful. If left untreated or misdiagnosed, a patient can potentially lose all mobility and vision (neuromyelitis optica). This disease is of particular importance to me because my father's sister, my aunt, was misdiagnosed in 1998 after losing mobility in one leg. She was initially told she had an inoperable brain tumor and would need to start radiotherapy immediately. This diagnosis was due to an MRI showing a mass where the brain connects to the spinal cord. After a second evaluation by another local surgeon in his hometown, the doctor did not believe the mass was a tumor and suggested further information ...