title: Role of Electrophysiology in the Early Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Diabetic Retinopathy.
abstract: Retinopathy is a severe and common complication of diabetes, representing a leading cause of blindness among working-age people in developed countries. It is estimated that the number of people with diabetic retinopathy (DR) will increase from 126.6 million in 2011 to 191 million by 2030. The pathology seems to be characterized not only by the involvement of retinal microvessels but also by a real neuropathy of central nervous system, similar to what happens to the peripheral nerves, particularly affected by diabetes. The neurophysiological techniques help to assess retinal and nervous (optic tract) function. Electroretinography (ERG) and visual evoked potentials (VEP) allow a more detailed study of the visual function and of the possible effects that diabetes can have on the visual function. These techniques have an important role both in the clinic and in research: the central nervous system, in fact, has received much less attention than the peripheral one in the study of the complications of diabetes. These techniques are safe, repeatable, quick, and objective. In addition, both the ERG (especially the oscillatory potentials and the flicker-ERG) and VEP have proved to be successful tools for the early diagnosis of the disease and, potentially, for the ophthalmologic follow-up of diabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrologic, Anesthesiologic and Geriatric Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4280-2629
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pescosolido
authors.affiliation: Center of Ocular Electrophysiology, Department of Sense Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5164-6635
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbato
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stefanucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Sense Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buomprisco
mesh_terms: D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D004596:Electroretinography; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D012160:Retina / Q000503:physiopathology*