LAUSR

Since its first use in case reports in the early twentieth century, the term transverse myelitis has become the preferred label for immune-mediated myelopathies. In 2002, diagnostic criteria created by an expert consensus defined transverse myelitis as a syndrome, divided into diseaseassociated transverse myelitis (i.e., myelitis attributed to a recognized disorder such as multiple sclerosis), and “idiopathic transverse myelitis” where no underlying cause is identified after comprehensive evaluation (1). In the years following publication of these criteria, neuroimaging research and biomarker discovery have provided important insights into the pathophysiology of many neuroimmune disorders. Accordingly, updates to clinical guidelines and diagnostic algorithms are needed to reflect a modern understanding of inflammatory myelopathies. Here, we discuss issues with the blanketed use of “transverse myelitis” and propose that the term be retired in future classification systems.