Contribution of cerebral magnetic resonance imaging to etiological investigation of uveitis

Uveitis is a disorder for which etiologic assessment procedures are still not codified. Clinical presentation is heterogenous, with poor correlation between symptoms and neurological involvement. The aim of our study was to assess the contribution of cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the management of uveitis. Seventy-one patients, 26 men and 45 women, were included between January 1st, 2000 and March 31st, 2008, in two groups "contributory MRI" and "not contributory MRI" according to diagnostic contribution of MRI. Clinical characteristics of uveitis, inflammatory, immunological and infectious biological features, and cerebral MRI were analyzed. A diagnostics was established in 38 (53.5%) patients. Five patients with multiple sclerosis and one case of Behçet's disease were diagnosed using cerebral MRI. This study points out cerebral MRI contribution as a second-line examination for the etiological diagnosis of uveitis especially in case of suspicion of multiple sclerosis or Behçet's disease.