Optical Coherence Tomography in the Differential Diagnosis of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Patients with MRI Nonspecific White Matter Lesions

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 21; no. 21; p. 7127
• Main Authors: Siger, Małgorzata, Owidzka, Marta, Świderek-Matysiak, Mariola, Omulecki, Wojciech, Stasiołek, Mariusz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 27-10-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Connective tissue; Diabetic retinopathy; Diagnosis; differential diagnosis; Disease; Ischemia; Lesions; Lupus; Magnetic resonance imaging; Multiple sclerosis; nonspecific white matter lesions; Optical Coherence Tomography; Optics; Software; Thickness measurement; Poland
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s21217127

In the differential diagnosis of nonspecific white matter lesions (NSWMLs) detected on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), multiple sclerosis (MS) should be taken into consideration. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a promising tool applied in the differential diagnostic process of MS. We tested whether OCT may be useful in distinguishing between MS and NSWMLs patients. In patients with MS (n = 41) and NSWMLs (n = 19), the following OCT parameters were measured: thickness of the peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer (pRNFL) in superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal segments; thickness of the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL); thickness of macular RNFL (mRNFL); and macular volume (MV). In MS patients, GCIPL was significantly lower than in NSWMLs patients (p = 0.024). Additionally, in MS patients, mRNFL was significantly lower than in NSWMLs patients (p = 0.030). The average segmental pRNFL and MV did not differ between MS and NSWMLs patients (p > 0.05). GCIPL and macular RNFL thinning significantly influenced the risk of MS (18.6% [95% CI 2.7%, 25.3%]; 27.4% [95% CI 4.5%, 62.3%]), and reduced GCIPL thickness appeared to be the best predictor of MS. We conclude that OCT may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of MS and NSWMLs patients in real-world settings.