title: Correlation of SD-OCT findings and visual function in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the morphological macular changes detected by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in eyes with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and to analyze their correlation with the visual function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two patients (44 eyes) patients affected by RP were recruited. The following structures were evaluated on SD-OCT: outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), external limiting membrane (ELM), photoreceptor inner/outer segment (IS/OS) junction, photoreceptor outer segment/retinal pigmented epithelium (OS/RPE) junction, inner limiting membrane thickening (ILMT), ganglion cell complex (GCC), and cystoid macular edema (CME). The relation between each SD-OCT finding and BCVA was evaluated at uni- and multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age and mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were 51 ± 17.5 years and 0.4 ± 0.5 LogMAR, respectively. Univariate linear regression model revealed a correlation between BCVA and the absence of ELM, IS/OS, ONL, and OS/RPE layers (R (2) values were, respectively, 0.51, 0.57, 0.48, and 0.68, with p values all <0.0001). At multivariate regression analysis, the absence of OS/RPE and ELM layers remained the only variables independently associated with a decrease of BCVA (R (2) = 0.85, t = 3.49, p = 0.0014).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data show that in patients afflicted with RP, ELM and OS/RPE layers are independently associated with BCVA on multivariate regression analysis. These results highlight the key-role of external retinal layers in determining the visual function impairment attributable to RP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battaglia Parodi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy. carlo.laspina@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: La Spina
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giacinto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Triolo
authors.affiliation: Ordine Mauriziano Hospital, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Riccieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pierro
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gagliardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bandello
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012160:Retina / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012174:Retinitis Pigmentosa / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D014821:Vitrectomy
keywords: Retinitis pigmentosa; Spectral domain OCT; Visual acuity