In 1972, a 12-year-old girl experienced intense cervical pain followed by sudden tetraplegia; the motor deficit slowly improved until the patient was in complete remission 1 month later. Another similar episode, followed by clinical remission, occurred 5 years later. An x ray of the spine was normal, but myelography and CT were not carried out. The clinical diagnosis was myelitis. Then, the patient was symptom free, except for occasional episodes of pain in the neck and shoulders, which lasted for 27 years. In June 2004, when she was 43 years old, she …