Nerve fibre layer analysis with GDx with a variable corneal compensator in patients with multiple sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the ability of GDx with variable corneal compensator (VCC) compared to visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) and standard automated perimetry (SAP) in the detection of early optic nerve damage in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).


METHODS
46 eyes of 23 MS patients were included. Ten of them had a history of acute retrobulbar optic neuritis. A control group of 20 normal subjects was also included. All subjects underwent a complete ophthalmological examination and testing with SAP, GDx VCC and VEPs.


RESULTS
19 eyes (41.3%) were abnormal with GDx VCC compared to 38 eyes (82.6%) with SAP and 31 (64.4%) with VEPs. In the optic neuritis group, 9 eyes (69.2%) had optic nerve pallor; SAP was abnormal in 8 of these eyes (61.5%) while VEPs and GDx VCC were abnormal in 6 eyes (46.1%). 2/20 eyes (10.0%) in the control group gave a false-positive abnormal result with SAP. GDx VCC and VEP were normal for all the eyes in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
GDx VCC is less able to detect early defects in MS patients compared to the currently used standard techniques of SAP and VEPs.
Della Mea
Giovanni
G
Department of Ophthalmology, S. Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Udine, Italy.
Bacchetti
Sonia
S
Zeppieri
Marco
M
Brusini
Paolo
P
Cutuli
Daniela
D
Gigli
Gian Luigi
GL
D000328:Adult; D003315:Cornea; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D058609:Visual Field Tests