title: Measuring hemoglobin levels in the optic disc of Parkinson's disease patients using new colorimetric analysis software.
abstract: Objective. To evaluate a new method of measuring hemoglobin (Hb) levels and quantifying the color changes in the optic nerve head of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. We also compared differences in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thicknesses obtained using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) device between PD group and healthy group. Methods. One hundred and fifty-five PD patients and 91 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects were included in this cross-sectional study. OCT examinations and one photograph of the optic disc were performed. The Laguna ONhE ("optic nerve hemoglobin"; Insoft SL, Tenerife, Spain) software was used to analyze the Hb level on the acquired optic disc photographs. Results. PD patients exhibited significantly reduced mean optic disc Hb percentages (57.56% in PD, 67.63% in healthy subjects; P = 0.001) as well as reduced Hb in almost all analyzed sectors, with the largest differences detected in the inferior and nasal sectors. RNFL parameters were significantly reduced in PD patients compared with healthy subjects, especially in the inferior quadrant. Conclusions. Measurements of optic disc Hb levels obtained with the Laguna ONhE software had good ability to detect optic nerve color changes (more papillary paleness and consequently this could suggest optic atrophy and axonal loss) in PD patients.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Consultas Externas de Oftalmologia, C/Padre Arrupe, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain ; Aragones Institute of Health Sciences (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Pilar
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Bambo
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Consultas Externas de Oftalmologia, C/Padre Arrupe, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain ; Aragones Institute of Health Sciences (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia-Martin
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Consultas Externas de Oftalmologia, C/Padre Arrupe, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain ; Aragones Institute of Health Sciences (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Satue
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Consultas Externas de Oftalmologia, C/Padre Arrupe, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain ; Aragones Institute of Health Sciences (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perez-Olivan
authors.affiliation: Systems Engineering Department, University of La Laguna, 38071 La Laguna, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alayon
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, University of La Laguna, 38071 La Laguna, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Hernandez
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Consultas Externas de Oftalmologia, C/Padre Arrupe, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain ; Aragones Institute of Health Sciences (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Polo
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Consultas Externas de Oftalmologia, C/Padre Arrupe, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain ; Aragones Institute of Health Sciences (IIS Aragon), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Larrosa
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, University of La Laguna, 38071 La Laguna, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-De la Rosa