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Published on: January 17, 2018
Decoding visual pathway damage in pituitary macroadenomas: insights from retinal nerve fiber layer and visual field
Sevgi Tongal1, Fatma Poslu Karademir2, Ihsan Cakir2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul Beyoglu Eye Training And Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Bereketzade Neighborhood, Bereketzade Mosque Street, No:2, Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey. sevgi.tongal@gmail.com.
Purpose:
To evaluate retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and visual field (VF) defects in patients with pituitary macroadenomas to assess the utility of these parameters in monitoring visual pathway involvement.
Methods:
A retrospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with PMA at Beyoglu Eye Hospital between September 2023 and July 2024. Comprehensive ophthalmological examinations were performed, including VF testing and RNFL thickness measurement via optical coherence tomography (OCT), and compared with healthy controls.
Results:
The study included 62 eyes from 31 PMA patients (19 males, 12 females; mean age 53.50 ± 18.84 years) and 62 eyes from 31 healthy individuals. Among patients, 25 had prior surgery, 4 underwent gamma knife treatment, 2 had scheduled surgery, and 2 were under observation. Visual acuity (VA) in PMA patients was no light perception in 6 eyes, counting fingers at 10 cm in 1 eye, 50 cm in 1 eye, and a mean VA of 0.12 logMAR in 54 eyes. Optic disc exams revealed normal appearance in 33 eyes, temporal pallor in 13, and diffuse pallor in 16. The mean Visual Field Index was 77.34%, and mean deviation was - 7.43 dB (p < 0.05). Mean RNFL thickness was significantly lower in PMA patients, especially in nasal (49.80 ± 22.1 µm) and temporal (54.93 ± 19.4 µm) quadrants compared to superior (78.85 ± 38.58 µm) and inferior (118.08 ± 31 µm) quadrants (p < 0.05). Nasal fibers showed the most pronounced thinning, followed by superior, temporal, and inferior fibers.
Conclusions:
Visual field testing is the primary method for assessing chiasmal involvement in pituitary macroadenoma. RNFL analysis offers complementary structural information on axonal damage, and evaluating both together improves the clinical assessment and follow-up of visual pathway involvement.
