Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been associated with demyelinating lesions and axonal loss. Demyelination induces a latency shift in transient visual evoked potentials (VEPs), whereas reduced amplitudes of stationary VEPs have been associated with axonal loss. Methods: In patients with definite multiple sclerosis and age matched normals, transient and stationary pattern reversal visual evoked potentials and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) analysis based on laser polarimetry were performed. Laser polarimetry scans were performed on both the peripapillary and the macular retina. Results: Thirty patients were included in the study. When compared with the group of age matched control subjects, a high reflectance of the peripapillary region was found in patients with MS. In addition, the proportion of patients with abnormal macular scans were significantly higher than in normals. A positive correlation between latencies of transitory VEP and temporal RNFL parameters and a negative correlation between the amplitude of stationary VEP and temporal RNFL parameters was found. Conclusion: The RNFL reflectance in patients with multiple sclerosis is increased compared with normal controls. These changes appear to increase with impairment of visual function. The pattern of retinal axonal loss in MS may be diffuse thus generating increased rather than reduced reflectance as observed in glaucoma.
Keywords: 484 nerve fiber layer • 487 neuro-ophthalmology: optic nerve • 393 electrophysiology: clinical