BACKGROUND: This study evaluated whether progressive optic neuropathy (ON) is commonly found after retrobulbar neuritis and whether optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a useful tool for follow-up of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: An observational study of 86 MS patients (currently treated with immunomodulation) with a past medical history of ON was carried out. Patients were assessed in 2010 and 2012 using the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), visual acuity, visual evoked potentials (VEP) and OCT but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed only in 2012. RESULTS: In this study 16 men and 70 women with a mean age of 41.6 and 43.8 years, respectively, were evaluated (28 patients post bilateral and 58 patients post unilateral ON including 114 eyes post-ON and 58 eyes without previous ON). Visual acuity and VEPs improved or remained the same over the study period. Visual acuity, VEPs, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and macular volume were significantly worse in eyes post-ON compared to eyes without previous ON. The RNFL significantly decreased over the study period in eyes post-ON from an average of 79.9 ± 13.3 μm to 77.0 ± 12.9 μm (p < 0.0001) and eyes without previous ON from 89.5 ± 12.9 μm to 86.0 ± 12.5 μm (p < 0.0001). The number of VEPs and RNFL thickness were significantly correlated with visual acuity in all eyes. In patients after unilateral ON the brain atrophy parameters corpus callosum index (CCI) and cella media index (CMI) were negatively correlated with the EDSS. CONCLUSION: Initially MS often begins with an episode of ON which can be stabilized by immunomodulation. A mild progressive ON was generally detectable in this study but severe progressive ON was rarely observed. The OCT measurements showed no better correlation than the VEPs with visual acuity; however, OCT can be applied for confirmation of atypical ON. The corpus callosum index seems to be best associated with the degree of disability while, as already described in the literature, the number of T2 lesions is not well correlated with disability, probably due to the small-world network function of the brain and the position of the lesions in areas with no clinical relevance.
BACKGROUND: This study evaluated whether progressive optic neuropathy (ON) is commonly found after retrobulbar neuritis and whether optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a useful tool for follow-up of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: An observational study of 86 MS patients (currently treated with immunomodulation) with a past medical history of ON was carried out. Patients were assessed in 2010 and 2012 using the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), visual acuity, visual evoked potentials (VEP) and OCT but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed only in 2012. RESULTS: In this study 16 men and 70 women with a mean age of 41.6 and 43.8 years, respectively, were evaluated (28 patients post bilateral and 58 patients post unilateral ON including 114 eyes post-ON and 58 eyes without previous ON). Visual acuity and VEPs improved or remained the same over the study period. Visual acuity, VEPs, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and macular volume were significantly worse in eyes post-ON compared to eyes without previous ON. The RNFL significantly decreased over the study period in eyes post-ON from an average of 79.9 ± 13.3 μm to 77.0 ± 12.9 μm (p < 0.0001) and eyes without previous ON from 89.5 ± 12.9 μm to 86.0 ± 12.5 μm (p < 0.0001). The number of VEPs and RNFL thickness were significantly correlated with visual acuity in all eyes. In patients after unilateral ON the brain atrophy parameters corpus callosum index (CCI) and cella media index (CMI) were negatively correlated with the EDSS. CONCLUSION: Initially MS often begins with an episode of ON which can be stabilized by immunomodulation. A mild progressive ON was generally detectable in this study but severe progressive ON was rarely observed. The OCT measurements showed no better correlation than the VEPs with visual acuity; however, OCT can be applied for confirmation of atypical ON. The corpus callosum index seems to be best associated with the degree of disability while, as already described in the literature, the number of T2 lesions is not well correlated with disability, probably due to the small-world network function of the brain and the position of the lesions in areas with no clinical relevance.
Authors: Mikail Rubinov; Stuart A Knock; Cornelis J Stam; Sifis Micheloyannis; Anthony W F Harris; Leanne M Williams; Michael Breakspear Journal: Hum Brain Mapp Date: 2009-02 Impact factor: 5.038
Authors: M A van Walderveen; W Kamphorst; P Scheltens; J H van Waesberghe; R Ravid; J Valk; C H Polman; F Barkhof Journal: Neurology Date: 1998-05 Impact factor: 9.910
Authors: Jennifer B Fisher; Dina A Jacobs; Clyde E Markowitz; Steven L Galetta; Nicholas J Volpe; M Ligia Nano-Schiavi; Monika L Baier; Elliot M Frohman; Heather Winslow; Teresa C Frohman; Peter A Calabresi; Maureen G Maguire; Gary R Cutter; Laura J Balcer Journal: Ophthalmology Date: 2006-01-10 Impact factor: 12.079
Authors: E Gordon-Lipkin; B Chodkowski; D S Reich; S A Smith; M Pulicken; L J Balcer; E M Frohman; G Cutter; P A Calabresi Journal: Neurology Date: 2007-10-16 Impact factor: 9.910
Authors: Nermin Serbecic; Fahmy Aboul-Enein; Sven C Beutelspacher; Clemens Vass; Wolfgang Kristoferitsch; Hans Lassmann; Andreas Reitner; Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth Journal: PLoS One Date: 2011-05-17 Impact factor: 3.240