Sectoral and Quadrant Evaluation of the Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Ganglion Cell–inner Plexiform Layer Thickness in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer thickness (GC–IPL) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) by sector and quadrant. Materials and Methods: Seventy-eight eyes of 39 patients with MS and 82 eyes of 41 healthy participants were analyzed using spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Our study defined MS eyes with optic neuritis (ON) as MS ON eyes and those without ON as MS non-ON eyes. Comparisons of the GC– IPL and pRNFL thicknesses were assessed and the measurements compared with healthy controls (HCs). Results: The comparison of the average and three quadrants (superior, inferior, and temporal) measurements of the pRNFL thickness and the average and six quadrant measurements of the GC–IPL thickness between the MS ON eyes and the MS non-ON eyes revealed statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). The average and four quadrants thickness of pRNFL and the average and six quadrants thickness of GC–IPL were significantly reduced in a comparison of MS ON vs. HC with MS non-ON vs. HC eyes (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The evaluation of pRNFL and GC–IPL thicknesses in MS ON and MS non-ON eyes may be beneficial in determining the central nervous system axonal integrity.

Keywords

• multiple sclerosis
• optical coherence tomography
• ganglion cell layer
• retinal fiber layer