Belkıs Koçtekin1, Burcu Yüksel2, Doğan Durmaz3, Mert Abdullah Çilli2, Mustafa Agah Tekindal4, Deniz Turgut Çoban3

1University of Health Sciences Turkey, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Transfusion Center, Antalya, Turkey
2University of Health Sciences Turkey, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Neurology, Antalya, Turkey
3University of Health Sciences Turkey, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Ophthalmology, Antalya, Turkey
4Izmir Katip Celebi University Turkey, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics, Izmir, Turkey

Keywords: Multiple sclerosis, optical coherence tomography, stereoacuity, stereotest, visual evoked potentials

Abstract

Objective: It was aimed to investigate the relationship of stereoacuity with retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) and P100 latency in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with and without optic neuritis (ON).

Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine patients diagnosed with clinically definite MS with and without a history of ON were included in this prospective study. Patients without ON were classified into relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and single-attack MS (SAMS) subgroups. There were 11 patients in the RRMS group with ON (ON-RRMS), 11 patients with RRMS and 7 patients with SAMS in the MS group without ON, and 16 healthy subjects in the control group. Stereoacuity was determined by the TNO and Titmus tests. RNFLT was measured by spectral domain-optical coherence tomography and P100 latency was measured in pattern visual evoked potential recordings. The results were analyzed with the SPSS 20 statistical program. P<0.05 was considered significant.

Results: In ON-RRMS, RRMS, SAMS, and control groups, the TNO test scores were 151.5±175.8, 117.2±67.0, 197.1±141.6, and 49.2±29.0, respectively and Titmus test scores were 89±111.2, 59.0±48.2, 68.5±39.7 and 40.0±0.0, respectively. TNO test scores were significantly higher in ON-RRMS and SAMS groups than in controls (p=0.03 and p=0.006, respectively). There was no difference between the MS groups and the control group in terms of the Titmus test. Nasal-RNFLT decreased as Titmus test scores increased in the ON-RRMS group, and P100 latency was prolonged as TNO test scores increased in the SAMS group (r=-0.795, p=0.018 and r=0.761, p=0.047, respectively).

Conclusion: Stereoacuity was decreased in patients with MS with and without ON. Measurement of stereoacuity in patients with MS may be useful for diagnosis and monitoring.

Ethics Committee Approval

Ethical approval was taken from the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of University of Health Sciences Turkey, Antalya Training and Research Hospital (date: 20.06.2019, approval number: 15/20).

Peer Review

Externally and internally peer-reviewed.

Author Contributions

Surgical and Medical Practices: B.K., B.Y., D.D., M.A.Ç., D.T.Ç., Concept: B.K., B.Y., D.T.Ç., Design: B.K., B.Y., D.T.Ç., Data Collection or Processing: B.K., B.Y., D.D., M.A.Ç., M.A.T., Analysis or Interpretation: B.K., B.Y., D.D., M.A.T., Literature Search: B.K., B.Y., D.D., Writing: B.K., B.Y

Conflict of Interest

No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Financial Disclosure

The authors declared that this study received no financial support.