title: Investigating Tissue Optical Properties and Texture Descriptors of the Retina in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the differences in texture descriptors and optical properties of retinal tissue layers in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to evaluate their usefulness in the detection of neurodegenerative changes using optical coherence tomography (OCT) image segmentation.
  
  
  METHODS
  38 patients with MS were examined using Stratus OCT. The raw macular OCT data were exported and processed using OCTRIMA software. The enrolled eyes were divided into two groups, based on the presence of optic neuritis (ON) in the history (MSON+ group, n = 36 and MSON- group, n = 31). Data of 29 eyes of 24 healthy subjects (H) were used as controls. A total of seven intraretinal layers were segmented and thickness as well as optical parameters such as contrast, fractal dimension, layer index and total reflectance were measured. Mixed-model ANOVA analysis was used for statistical comparisons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell/inner plexiform layer complex (GCL+IPL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC, RNFL+GCL+IPL) was observed between study groups in all comparisons. Significant difference was found in contrast in the RNFL, GCL+IPL, GCC, inner nuclear layer (INL) and outer plexiform layer when comparing MSON+ to the other groups. Higher fractal dimension values were observed in GCL+IPL and INL layers when comparing H vs. MSON+ groups. A significant difference was found in layer index in the RNFL, GCL+IPL and GCC layers in all comparisons. A significant difference was observed in total reflectance in the RNFL, GCL+IPL and GCC layers between the three examination groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Texture and optical properties of the retinal tissue undergo pronounced changes in MS even without optic neuritis. Our results may help to further improve the diagnostic efficacy of OCT in MS and neurodegeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Boglárka Enikő
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Kornélia Lenke
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Laurik
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tátrai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Magdolna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simó
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.|Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Gábor Márk
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Somfai
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Delia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cabrera DeBuc
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence