TY - JOUR
T1 - Subclinical primary retinal pathology in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
AU - Jeong, In Hye
AU - Kim, Ho Jin
AU - Kim, Nam Hee
AU - Jeong, Kyoung Sook
AU - Park, Choul Yong
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
PY - 2016/7/1
Y1 - 2016/7/1
N2 - Foveal thickness may be a more sensitive indicator of primary retinal pathology than retinal nerve fiber layer thickness since the fovea contains no or sparse retinal nerve fiber layer, which coalesces into axons of the optic nerve. To our knowledge, few quantitative in vivo studies have investigated foveal thickness. By using optical coherence tomography, we measured foveal thickness to evaluate intrinsic retinal pathology. Seventy-two neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients (99 eyes with optic neuritis and 45 eyes without optic neuritis) and 34 age-matched controls were included. Foveal thinning was observed both in eyes with non-optic neuritis (185.1 µm, p < 0.001) and optic neuritis (185.0 µm, p < 0.001) relative to controls (205.0 µm). Compared to controls, eyes with non-optic neuritis did not have peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thinning, but showed foveal thinning (p < 0.001). In neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, foveal thickness correlated with 2.5 % low contrast visual acuity, while retinal nerve fiber layer thickness correlated with high or low contrast visual acuity, extended disability status scale, and disease duration. In this study, we observed foveal thinning irrespective of optic neuritis; thus, we believe that subclinical primary retinal pathology, prior to retinal nerve fiber layer thinning, may exist in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.
AB - Foveal thickness may be a more sensitive indicator of primary retinal pathology than retinal nerve fiber layer thickness since the fovea contains no or sparse retinal nerve fiber layer, which coalesces into axons of the optic nerve. To our knowledge, few quantitative in vivo studies have investigated foveal thickness. By using optical coherence tomography, we measured foveal thickness to evaluate intrinsic retinal pathology. Seventy-two neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients (99 eyes with optic neuritis and 45 eyes without optic neuritis) and 34 age-matched controls were included. Foveal thinning was observed both in eyes with non-optic neuritis (185.1 µm, p < 0.001) and optic neuritis (185.0 µm, p < 0.001) relative to controls (205.0 µm). Compared to controls, eyes with non-optic neuritis did not have peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thinning, but showed foveal thinning (p < 0.001). In neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, foveal thickness correlated with 2.5 % low contrast visual acuity, while retinal nerve fiber layer thickness correlated with high or low contrast visual acuity, extended disability status scale, and disease duration. In this study, we observed foveal thinning irrespective of optic neuritis; thus, we believe that subclinical primary retinal pathology, prior to retinal nerve fiber layer thinning, may exist in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.
KW - Fovea thickness
KW - Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
KW - Optical coherence tomography
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84965006746&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00415-016-8138-8
DO - 10.1007/s00415-016-8138-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 27142716
AN - SCOPUS:84965006746
SN - 0340-5354
VL - 263
SP - 1343
EP - 1348
JO - Journal of Neurology
JF - Journal of Neurology
IS - 7
ER -