Relationship between retinal thinning, disease duration and disability status in multiple sclerosis patients

Abstract

AbstractPurposeTo assess changes in the pattern of the neuro‐retina thinning during the evolution of multiple sclerosis (MS).Method64 eyes of healthy controls and 89 eyes of patients with MS without previous episode of optic neuritis were included in the study. Measurements were performed using the Posterior Pole Retinal Thickness Map protocol [shows the thickness of the retina throughout the posterior pole (volumetric examination of 30° × 25° OCT]) with the Heidelberg Spectralis optical coherence tomography (OCT) device. We analysed the 8 × 8 grid placed along the fovea symmetrically with the papilla, dividing patients with MS into 5 different groups at intervals of 5 years of disease duration and a group of patients with a few months of diagnosis.ResultsMS patients presented a significant thinning of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and the ganglion cell layer (GCL). This thinning is visible and significant even in the first year after symptoms onset in RNFL and GCL. In addition, an inverse relationship between the thickness of these layers and the time of disease evolution was found, existing cells with a moderate‐strong relationship mainly in the GCL and RNFL. In contrast there is negative but poor correlation between retinal thinning of these 2 retinal layers and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS).ConclusionAlthough there is no significant peripapillary damage in the first months of the disease, we can find a significant thinning in the RNFL and GCL around the macula. GCL seems to be the layer that presents a significant thinning earlier than the RNFL and stronger relationship with disease duration. On the other hand, EDSS does not seems to be so influent on retinal thinning than disease duration.