Background: Optic
neuritis (ON) is strongly associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Optical
coherence tomography (OCT) has the potential to provide a reliable means of
capturing axonal deficits, which can be paired to tests of visual function to
provide a structural functional paradigm of brain injury. Objective: We aimed to evaluate retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and
total macular volume (TMV) thickness in MS patients with and without optic neuritis,
and to correlate our findings with clinical measures of disability and MRI findings.
Methods: Forty
patients with MS were recruited from the outpatient clinics and the Neurology
Department at Ain
Shams University
hospitals, with age range 16-53 years, with and without optic neuritis and 16
age and sex matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All patients
were subjected to history, clinical evaluation, extended disability status
scale (EDSS) for disease severity, MRI brain with contrast, visual evoked
potential (VEP) and high-resolution
spectral-domain OCT to assess the RNFL
and TMV of the optic nerve. The control group performed OCT. Results: RNFL and TMV thinning
was significantly correlated with the MS group in all field sectors with and
without ON, compared to the control group. No correlation was found between OCT
and VEP among MS group. TMV was inversely correlated with MRI finding in
contrast to RNFL, where no correlation was found. Conclusion: RNFL and TMV thickness was significantly decreased
in MS with and without ON. In addition, there were significant differences in
RNFL and TMV thickness within field quadrants. [Egypt
J Neurol Psychiat Neurosurg. 2013; 50(2): 205-212]
Key Words: Optical coherence
tomography, Retinal nerve fibre layer, MS, Optic neuritis.
Correspondence to Dina
Abdelgawad Zamzam. Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine,
Ain Shams University,
Cairo, Egypt. e-mail:
Dina.zamzam@hotmail.com.