MONITORING OF OPHTHALMOLOGICAL INDICATORS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Abstract

Background: According to the literature data, more than 70% of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis with disease duration > 5 years and absence of retrobulbar neuritis, have visual analyzer involvement manifested by decreased thickness of peripapillary nervous fibers. Aim: To assess interrelations between retinal/optic nerve changes and clinical signs of multiple sclerosis; to estimate prognostic value of optic coherence tomography in the monitoring of patients with multiple sclerosis. Materials and methods: We studied 132 eyes of 66 patients (41 women, 62.12%, and 25 men, 37.8%, age 20–57 years old) with verified diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. All patients underwent routine ophthalmological examination and optical coherence tomography every 3 months during 2 years. Results: Significant correlations were demonstrated between disability severity (Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS) and changes of total thickness of peripapillary nervous fibers (r = -0.362, p = 0.042), mean thickness of superior temporal peripapillary nerve fibers (r = -0.373, p = 0.046), mean thickness of inferotemporal peripapillary nerve fibers (r = -0.504, p = 0.005), optic disc volume (r = -0.645, p = 0.001), total retinal thickness at the posterior pole of the eyeball (r = -0.470, p = 0.010), and total retinal volume (r = -0.453, p = 0.012). Demonstrated relations were independent of the history of retrobulbar neuritis. Conclusion: Changes of visual analyzer demonstrated in optical coherence tomography reflect the severity of diffuse neurodegenerative process in the brain and correlate well with disability and disease progression.

Keywords

• multiple sclerosis
• thickness of peripapillary nerve fibers
• optical coherence tomography