Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 15, 2025
Dynamic Visual Tests to Identify and Quantify Visual Damage and Repair Following Demyelination in Optic Neuritis Patients
Published on: April 14, 2014
Microstructural injury to the optic nerve with vigabatrin treatment in West syndrome: A DTI study
Junjie Hu1, Li Chen2, Gongwei Zhang3
1Department of Pediatric, Sihui People's Hospital, Zhaoqing, China.
Insights
Vigabatrin treatment in children with West syndrome can cause optic nerve injury, detectable by diffusion tensor imaging. Fractional anisotropy values indicate injury and reversibility after discontinuing vigabatrin.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Pediatric Neurology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- West syndrome is a severe infant epilepsy.
- Vigabatrin is a common anti-seizure medication.
- Optic nerve abnormalities are a known side effect of vigabatrin.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate optic nerve injury in children with West syndrome treated with vigabatrin using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
- To identify imaging biomarkers for vigabatrin-induced optic nerve damage.
- To assess the reversibility of these changes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 35 children with West syndrome.
- Grouping based on vigabatrin treatment and thalamic abnormalities.
- Assessment of optic nerve fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) using DTI.
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine FA thresholds for injury.
Main Results:
- Significantly lower FA values in vigabatrin-treated children with thalamic abnormalities compared to controls.
- No significant difference in ADC values between groups.
- Significant increase in FA values after vigabatrin discontinuation, indicating reversibility.
- ROC analysis identified an FA cut-off of 304 with high sensitivity and specificity for optic nerve injury.
Conclusions:
- Fractional anisotropy (FA) is a sensitive DTI biomarker for detecting vigabatrin-related optic nerve injury in West syndrome.
- Thalamic abnormalities may correlate with the severity of optic nerve injury.
- Vigabatrin-induced optic nerve changes appear reversible upon treatment cessation.
Abstract:
To evaluate optic nerve injury associated with vigabatrin treatment in children with West syndrome using diffusion tensor imaging. Thirty-five children with West syndrome (aged 9 days-22 months) were retrospectively analyzed and grouped as follows: (1) vigabatrin with symmetrical thalamic abnormalities, (2) vigabatrin without thalamic abnormalities, and (3) controls on other anti-seizure medications. Fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient values of the optic nerves were assessed. ROC curves were used to determine fractional anisotropy thresholds for optic nerve injury. fractional anisotropy values in group 1 were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05), while apparent diffusion coefficient values showed no significant differences. fractional anisotropy values increased significantly after vigabatrin discontinuation (P < 0.05). ROC analysis yielded an fractional anisotropy cut-off value of 304 with 63.6% sensitivity and 100% specificity. fractional anisotropy values are a sensitive imaging biomarker for detecting vigabatrin-related optic nerve injury in West syndrome, particularly when thalamic abnormalities are present. These changes appear reversible after stopping vigabatrin.
More Related Videos
13:12Partial Optic Nerve Transection in Rats: A Model Established with a New Operative Approach to Assess Secondary Degeneration of Retinal Ganglion Cells
Published on: October 15, 2017
06:49Visual Evoked Potential Recording in a Rat Model of Experimental Optic Nerve Demyelination
Published on: July 29, 2015
Related Concept Videos
01:27Open Angle Glaucoma: Treatment
Drugs such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, α2- and...
01:28Angle Closure Glaucoma: Treatment
01:25Glaucoma: Overview