Abstract
Background: The aim of our study was to assess the role of laser polarimetry and visual evoked potentials (VEP) as potential biomarkers of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS).Participants: A total of 41 patients with MS (82 eyes) and 22 age-related healthy volunteers (44 eyes) completed the study. MS patients were divided into two groups, one (ON) with a history of optic neuritis (17 patients, 34 eyes) and another group (NON) without it (24 patients, 48 eyes). The MS patients and controls underwent laser polarimetry (GDx) examination of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). In the MS group, we also examined: Kurtzke “expanded disability status scale” (EDSS), the duration of the disorder, VEP – latency and amplitude, and conventional brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our results were statistically analyzed using ANOVA, Mann–Whitney, and Spearman correlation analyses.Results: In the MS group, brain atrophy and new T2 brain lesions in MRI correlated with both VEP latencies and amplitudes. Separate comparisons revealed VEP latency testing to be less sensitive in ON than in NON-patients. In ON patients, VEP amplitudes correlated mildly with brain atrophy (r = −0.15) and strongly with brain new MRI lesions (r = −0.8). In NON-patients, highly significant correlation of new MRI brain lesions with VEP latencies (r = 0.63, r = 0.6) and amplitudes (r = −0.3, r = −4.2) was found. EDSS also correlated with brain atrophy in this group (r = 0.5). Our study did not find a correlation of GDx measures with MRI tests. The GDx method was not able to detect whole brain demyelinization and the degeneration process, but was only able to reveal the involvement of optic nerves in ON and NON-patients.Conclusion: In our study, we found that both methods (VEP and GDx) can be used for the detection of optic nerve damage, but VEP was found to be superior in evaluating whole brain demyelinization and axonal degeneration. Both VEP and MRI, but not GDx, have an important role in monitoring disease progression in MS patients, independent of the ON history.
Highlights
In our study, we found that both methods (VEP and GDx) can be used for the detection of optic nerve damage, butVEP was found to be superior in evaluating whole brain demyelinization and axonal degeneration
Both disease duration and age of patients significantly correlated with brain atrophy measures, but we did not find this relationship with new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain lesions
In our study, we found that both visual evoked potentials (VEP) and GDx can be used as supplementary methods in detection of optic nerve damage
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized as a progressive inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system in Abbreviations: EDSS = expanded disability status scale; GDx = laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; MRI T1 = T1-weighted imaging; MRI T2 = T2-weighted imaging; MS = multiple sclerosis; MTR = magnetization transfer ratio; NFI = nerve fiber indicator; NON = no history of optic neuritis; OCT = optic coherence tomography; ON = optic neuritis; PD = proton density-weighted imaging; RNFL = retinal nerve fiber layer; STIR = short T1 inversion recovery. Which axonal destruction occurs at early stages and is responsible for the accumulation of irreversible disability (Kuhlmann et al, 2002). It has been proposed that in the later stages, accumulation of tissue damage and loss of remyelination cause irreversible disability (Kuhlmann et al, 2002). The aim of our study was to assess the role of laser polarimetry and visual evoked potentials (VEP) as potential biomarkers of disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
