Abstract
To investigate superficial retinal microvascular plexuses detected by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in multiple sclerosis (MS) subjects and compare them with healthy controls. A total of 92 eyes from 92 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 149 control eyes were included in this prospective observational study. OCT-A imaging was performed using Triton Swept-Source OCT (Topcon Corporation, Japan). The vessel density (VD) percentage in the superficial retinal plexus and optic disc area (6 x 6 mm grid) was measured and compared between groups. MS patients showed a significant decrease VD in the superior (p = 0.005), nasal (p = 0.029) and inferior (p = 0.040) parafoveal retina compared with healthy subjects. Patients with disease durations of more than 5 years presented lower VD in the superior (p = 0.002), nasal (p = 0.017) and inferior (p = 0.022) parafoveal areas compared with healthy subjects. Patients with past optic neuritis episodes did not show retinal microvasculature alterations, but patients with an EDSS score of less than 3 showed a significant decrease in nasal (p = 0.024) and superior (p = 0.006) perifoveal VD when compared with healthy subjects. MS produces a decrease in retinal vascularization density in the superficial plexus of the parafoveal retina. Alterations in retinal vascularization observed in MS patients are independent of the presence of optic nerve inflammation. OCT-A has the ability to detect subclinical vascular changes and is a potential biomarker for diagnosing the presence and progression of MS.
Highlights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system with axonal degeneration being the main determinant of neurological disability
Patients with past optic neuritis episodes did not show retinal microvasculature alterations, but patients with an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of less than 3 showed a significant decrease in nasal (p = 0.024) and superior (p = 0.006) perifoveal vessel density (VD) when compared with healthy subjects
MS produces a decrease in retinal vascularization density in the superficial plexus of the parafoveal retina
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system with axonal degeneration being the main determinant of neurological disability. The etiology is unknown and the course of MS cannot be predicted. Some patients are minimally affected by the disease while in others MS progresses quickly towards total disability. Symptoms of MS will depend on the damaged area and the phenotype. Patients with the relapsing-remitting (RRMS) phenotype suffer symptoms in the form of outbreaks, which can last days or even months, and usually disappear leaving functional sequelae. Some of the most common symptoms are blurred or double vision, muscular weakness, loss of dexterity, numbness or tingling and pain [1,2]
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