OCT as a monitoring tool for assessment of the stage and severity of multiple sclerosis

AIM: To identify a link between optical coherence tomography (OCT), length of multiple sclerosis (MS) and the expanded disability status scale (EDSS). METHODS: In a prospective double blind study, 29 patients with a diagnosis of MS were compared with 29 healthy patients, matched by age and sex. All participants underwent an OCT study and neurological EDSS test on the same day. RESULTS: The mean EDSS score was 3.2 in the MS group vs 0.03 in the control group, and the duration of MS was 11.7y. The mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was significantly thinner in those with MS (P<0.001). Correlation was found between duration of MS and RNFL thinning. EDSS and thinning of RNFL showed a tendency to correlate but without statistical significance. CONCLUSION: RNFL is thinner in MS patients than in the general population. MS duration has a direct statistically significant effect on RNFL thickness. There seems to be a tendency of a relationship between RNFL thinning and EDSS. OCT is suggested as a monitoring and evaluation tool of MS patients.