Abstract
BackgroundRecently the reduction of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) was suggested to be associated with diffuse axonal damage in the whole CNS of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, several points are still under discussion. (1) Is high resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) required to detect the partly very subtle RNFL changes seen in MS patients? (2) Can a reduction of RNFL be detected in all MS patients, even in early disease courses and in all MS subtypes? (3) Does an optic neuritis (ON) or focal lesions along the visual pathways, which are both very common in MS, limit the predication of diffuse axonal degeneration in the whole CNS? The purpose of our study was to determine the baseline characteristics of clinical definite relapsing-remitting (RRMS) and secondary progressive (SPMS) MS patients with high resolution OCT technique.MethodologyForty-two RRMS and 17 SPMS patients with and without history of uni- or bilateral ON, and 59 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were analysed prospectively with the high resolution spectral-domain OCT device (SD-OCT) using the Spectralis 3.5mm circle scan protocol with locked reference images and eye tracking mode. Furthermore we performed tests for visual and contrast acuity and sensitivity (ETDRS, Sloan and Pelli-Robson-charts), for color vision (Lanthony D-15), the Humphrey visual field and visual evoked potential testing (VEP).Principal FindingsAll 4 groups (RRMS and SPMS with or without ON) showed significantly reduced RNFL globally, or at least in one of the peripapillary sectors compared to age-/sex-matched healthy controls. In patients with previous ON additional RNFL reduction was found. However, in many RRMS patients the RNFL was found within normal range. We found no correlation between RNFL reduction and disease duration (range 9–540 months).ConclusionsRNFL baseline characteristics of RRMS and SPMS are heterogeneous (range from normal to markedly reduced levels).
Highlights
A recently broadly discussed hypothesis is that analysis of the retina nerve fibre layer (RNFL) may be useful to track degenerative processes in the central nervous system (CNS) [1,2]
The company standard values are well covered by the 95% confidence intervals of the control group only in sectors T and NI but not in sectors TI, TS, N and NS were the company standard value is at the border or quite below the lower confidence limits
retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) reduction can be found in relapsing-remitting course (RRMS) and to higher extent in secondary progressive MS (SPMS) patients
Summary
A recently broadly discussed hypothesis is that analysis of the retina nerve fibre layer (RNFL) may be useful to track degenerative processes in the central nervous system (CNS) [1,2]. In previous studies on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) axonal loss in the RNFL was found to be correlated to visual impairment, and interestingly to disability scores composed of other than visual CNS dysfunctions (e.g. motor system) [3]. These findings suggested that in MS the damage affecting the entire CNS may be visualized by scanning the damage in the RNFL and in the optic discs. The reduction of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) was suggested to be associated with diffuse axonal damage in the whole CNS of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Several points are still under discussion. (1) Is high resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) required to detect the partly very subtle RNFL changes seen in MS patients? (2) Can a reduction of RNFL be detected in all MS patients, even in early disease courses and in all MS subtypes? (3) Does an optic neuritis (ON) or focal lesions along the visual pathways, which are both very common in MS, limit the predication of diffuse axonal degeneration in the whole CNS? The purpose of our study was to determine the baseline characteristics of clinical definite relapsing-remitting (RRMS) and secondary progressive (SPMS) MS patients with high resolution OCT technique
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