Adding a special MRI scan detected optic neuritis far more often in atypical cases.
Enhanced detection of optic neuritis with contrast-enhanced 3D FLAIR in orbital MRI.
Etsushi Iida … Katsuyoshi Ito
Neuroradiology · 2026
Purpose
This study evaluates whether adding CE FS 3D FLAIR to standard orbital MRI improves diagnostic performance.
Methods
This retrospective single-center diagnostic accuracy study included 48 patients (mean age, 60 years ± 18; 30 women) clinically suspected of acute optic neuritis who underwent orbital MRI between September 2016 and July 2024.
n = 48 patients
76.9%
Results
76.9%
the extra scan correctly flagged optic neuritis in more atypical cases than usual MRI
n = 48 patients
More results
CE FS 3D FLAIR detected optic disc abnormalities in 18 of 55 symptomatic nerves (32.7%) compared with 11 of 55 (20.0%) on CE FS 3D T1WI.
“
Conclusion
Adding CE FS 3D FLAIR to conventional orbital MRI significantly improves diagnostic accuracy for optic neuritis, especially in atypical clinical presentations.