title: Heterogeneous pattern of retinal nerve fiber layer in multiple sclerosis. High resolution optical coherence tomography: potential and limitations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently the reduction of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) was suggested to be associated with diffuse axonal damage in the whole CNS of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, several points are still under discussion. (1) Is high resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) required to detect the partly very subtle RNFL changes seen in MS patients? (2) Can a reduction of RNFL be detected in all MS patients, even in early disease courses and in all MS subtypes? (3) Does an optic neuritis (ON) or focal lesions along the visual pathways, which are both very common in MS, limit the predication of diffuse axonal degeneration in the whole CNS? The purpose of our study was to determine the baseline characteristics of clinical definite relapsing-remitting (RRMS) and secondary progressive (SPMS) MS patients with high resolution OCT technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two RRMS and 17 SPMS patients with and without history of uni- or bilateral ON, and 59 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were analysed prospectively with the high resolution spectral-domain OCT device (SD-OCT) using the Spectralis 3.5mm circle scan protocol with locked reference images and eye tracking mode. Furthermore we performed tests for visual and contrast acuity and sensitivity (ETDRS, Sloan and Pelli-Robson-charts), for color vision (Lanthony D-15), the Humphrey visual field and visual evoked potential testing (VEP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 4 groups (RRMS and SPMS with or without ON) showed significantly reduced RNFL globally, or at least in one of the peripapillary sectors compared to age-/sex-matched healthy controls. In patients with previous ON additional RNFL reduction was found. However, in many RRMS patients the RNFL was found within normal range. We found no correlation between RNFL reduction and disease duration (range 9-540 months).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RNFL baseline characteristics of RRMS and SPMS are heterogeneous (range from normal to markedly reduced levels).
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Nermin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Serbecic
authors.forename: Fahmy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aboul-Enein
authors.forename: Sven C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Beutelspacher
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kircher
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Geitzenauer
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Brannath
authors.forename: Priska
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kristoferitsch
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lassmann
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reitner
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Erfurth
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult