Which is more sensitive in multiple sclerosis: Optical coherence tomography or visual evoked potentials?

• Published in: Neurophysiologie clinique Vol. 48; no. 3; p. 134
• Main Authors: Hamza, Nouha, Hdiji, Olfa, Imen, Abid, Sakka, Salma, Kacem, Hanen Haj, Bouattour, Nadia, Dammak, Mariem, Feki, Jamel, Mhiri, Chokri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Elsevier Masson SAS 01-06-2018; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Eye; Multiple sclerosis; Nervous system; Neuritis; Optic nerve; Optic neuritis; Optical coherence tomography; Optical neuritis; Retina; Sex ratio; Tomography; Visual evoked potentials; Optical coherence tomography; Optical neuritis; Multiple sclerosis
• ISSN: 0987-7053; 1769-7131
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neucli.2018.05.018

Visual involvement is a frequent feature of multiple sclerosis (MS). Visual disturbances involve up to 80% of patients and optic neuritis (ON) occurs in about 50%. Our aim was to assess the sensitivity of optic coherence tomography (OCT) and visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to visual pathway abnormalities in MS.
A total of 19 MS subjects, 9 with optic neuritis (ON) at least 3 months before (bilateral in 6), underwent assessment of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and VEPs.
There were 19 patients with MS, so a total of 38 eyes. The sex ratio was 0.73 F/M. The average age was 37.7 years old. There were 15 eyes with history of ON. Global retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness in OCT was abnormal in 57.9% of all eyes and the VEPs were abnormal in 68.42%. The eyes with NO had an abnormal VEPs in 73.33% and a decreased pRNFL in 66.66%. A total of 60.86% of eyes without NO had abnormal VEPs and 47.82% had decreased pRNFL (P=0.008).
In eyes with or without ON, VEPs were more frequently abnormal than OCT, while the difference insensitivity of the two techniques was higher in eyes not affected previously by ON.