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Sensitivity of visual evoked potentials and spectral domain optical coherence tomography in early relapsing remitting
Raed Behbehani1, Samar Ahmed2, Jasem Al-Hashel3
1Opthalmology Clinic, Dasman Institute, Dasman, Kuwait; Al-Bahar Ophthalmology Center, Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait.
Background:
Visual evoked potentials and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography are common ancillary studies that assess the visual pathways from a functional and structural aspect, respectively.
Objective:
To compare prevalence of abnormalities of Visual evoked potentials (VEP) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of 100 eyes with disease duration of less than 5 years since the diagnosis. Correlation between retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion-cell/inner plexiform layer with pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials amplitude and latency and contrast sensitivity was performed.
Results:
The prevalence of abnormalities in pattern-reversal visual VEP was 56% while that of SOCT was 48% in all eyes. There was significant negative correlations between the average RNFL (r=-0.34, p=0.001) and GCIPL (r=-0.39, p<0.001) with VEP latency. In eyes with prior optic neuritis, a significant negative correlation was seen between average RNFL (r=-0.33, p=0.037) and GCIPL (r=-0.40, p=0.010) with VEP latency.
Conclusions:
We have found higher prevalence of VEP abnormalities than SCOCT in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. This suggests that VEP has a higher sensitivity for detecting lesions of the visual pathway in patients with early RRMS.
