Optical Coherence Tomography in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) has recently become a vital tool for clinicians and researchers in ophthalmology and, increasingly, in neurology. Optical coherence tomography is quickly and easily performed, well-tolerated by patients, and allows high-resolution viewing of unmyelinated axons and other retinal structures in vivo. These factors have led OCT to find favor as a method of quantifying neuroaxonal loss in multiple sclerosis (MS), and the increasing acceptance of the anterior visual pathway as a model to investigate MS in humans.In this short review, the authors discuss OCT findings in MS research, and the relationships of these structural findings with established functional outcome measures such as visual acuity and electrophysiological examinations. The utility of OCT in patients with acute optic neuritis is emphasized. Optical coherence tomography is a particularly powerful tool when the individual retinal layers are visualized and quantified following the segmentation of scans; this technique shows promise as a method for defining novel MS phenotypes.

Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Higher Relapse Frequency May Predict Poor Recovery after Optic Neuritis in MS Patients

“…Moreover, it has been demonstrated that MS patients not experiencing ON show a significant retinal atrophy, confirmed by lower retinal thickness at OCT after six months; the same pattern is shared by subclinical ON or primary retinal degeneration and neurodegeneration processes [27,34,40,41,42]. In our study, retinal measurements of the unaffected eyes showed a significant reduction of RNFL thickness with particular involvement of the nasal and temporal quadrants (Table 2).…”

Optical coherence tomography in the investigation of systemic neurologic disease

“…For instance, axonal loss documented with OCT correlates with functional changes measured using electrophysiological techniques. Therefore, assessment of the retinal nerve fibre layer provides a gateway to understanding the anterior neural pathway of this neurodegenerative process occurring in the brain and spinal cord.…”

Optical coherence tomography as a means to characterize visual pathway involvement in multiple sclerosis

“…A significant relationship between OCT parameters and electrophysiological tests such as the visual evoked potential (VEP) and ERG has been observed in multiple sclerosis [61]. VEP and ERG examinations are performed in order to quantify the cortical (VEP) and retinal (ERG) response to precisely defined visual stimuli [62].…”