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Show Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in NMO Patients Alex P. Lange, MD, Reza Sadjadi, MD, Feng Zhu, MSc, Samir Alkabie, MSc, Fiona Costello, MD, Anthony L. Traboulsee, MD Background: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a demyelinating syndrome of the central nervous system. NMO might be underdiagnosed at early stages when patients have not yet developed the full spectrum of disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to compare RNFL measure-ments between NMO patients, patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and healthy controls to determine whether differences in RNFL thickness could be an early diag-nostic marker for NMO. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, eyes of 25 NMO patients, 25 RRMS patients, and 50 healthy controls under-went RNFL measurements by OCT. Clinical parameters were collected by history and chart review. Pairwise Wilcoxon rank sum tests with Holm correction were used to compare means of RNFL thickness among 6 groups (NMO, RRMS, and healthy control) of patients [without or with 1 or more episode of optic neuritis (ON)]. The association between RNFL thickness and patient characteristics for NMO group was examined via linear mixed-effects models (adjusting for within-patient intereye correlations and history of ON, where appropriate). Results: Based on the pairwise Wilcoxon rank sum tests with Holm correction, significant differences were found between NMO with 1 episode of ON and non-ON eyes (mean RNFL 63.7 vs 97.0 mm, P , 0.0001), multiple sclerosis (MS) non-ON eyes, and controls (RNFL 93.2 vs 98.4 mm, P = 0.03). No significant differences were found between NMO and MS with 1 attack of ON eyes (RNFL 63.7 vs 73.9 mm, P = 0.46), NMO non-ON eyes and healthy controls (RNFL 97.0 vs 98.4 mm, P = 0.56), and NMO non-ON and MS non-ON (RNFL 97.0 vs 93.2 mm, P = 0.56). For NMO group, RNFL thickness was associ-ated with a history of ON (P , 0.001) but not with disability or disease duration when adjusting for the history of ON (P. 0.1). Conclusions: RNFL in NMO is not different enough to distinguish NMO ON from MS ON eyes, but the intereye difference in RFNL with a history of unilateral ON may be a better diagnostic marker for NMO. Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology 2013;33:213-219 doi: 10.1097/WNO.0b013e31829c510e © 2013 by North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory, demy-elinating syndrome of the central nervous system that is characterized by severe attacks of optic neuritis (ON) and transverse myelitis (TM) (1). Clinical, neuroimaging, and lab-oratory findings are used to distinguish this clinical entity from multiple sclerosis (MS) (2). Moreover, serum detection of aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G (NMO-IgG) can help differ-entiate NMO from other demyelinating disorders with 54%- 91% sensitivity and .90% specificity (3,4). The currently used criteria of Wingerchuk et al (5) and the NationalMultiple Sclerosis Society (6) mainly rely on seropositivity and typical imaging findings. Thus, many patients may go undiagnosed, especially at earlier stages of disease, at which point they may not manifest the full spectrum of signs and symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment with immunosuppressive agents are important to reduce the risk of further neurological impair-ment in NMO (7). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) studies have shown differences in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) values between NMO ON eyes, MS ON eyes, and healthy control eyes (8,9). The primary objective of this study was to analyze RNFL values in NMO patients (with and without history of ON) and to compare these RNFL measurements with those of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and healthy controls. As a secondary objective, we aimed to correlate RNFL thickness in NMO eyes (ON and non-ON eyes) with clinical parameters. Finally, we endeavored to deter-mine whether RNFL thickness could be used as a diagnostic Neuro-Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology (APL), Uni-versity of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Medicine (RS, FZ, SA, ALT), Division of Neurology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada; Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Surgery (FC), University of Calgary, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta, Canada; and Vista Klinik (APL), Vista Diag-nostics and Laser Vista, Binnigen, Switzerland. A. Lange was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the UBC Hospital NMO Research Program. This project was supported by the UBC Hospital NMO Research Program. The authors report no conflicts of interest. Address correspondence to Alex P. Lange, MD, Department of Oph-thalmology, VGH Eye Care Center, 2550 Willow Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5Z 3N9; E-mail: alex@lange.ch Lange et al: J Neuro-Ophthalmol 2013; 33: 213-219 213 Original Contribution Copyright © North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. criterion for NMO, and if the pattern or severity of the RNFL deficit could help distinguish NMO patients early in the course of their disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Study Design This was a cross-sectional cohort study. The British Columbia MS (BCMS) database was used to help identify eligible NMO patients. The database has longitudinally collated clinical information on MS and NMO patients registered with 1 of 4 MS clinics across British Columbia since 1980 and is estimated to include 80% of MS and NMO patients in British Columbia (10,11). Patient Population Patients were recruited between August 2009 and March 2011. Subjects with NMO spectrum disorder were identi-fied from the BCMS database and were invited to participate by letter. If no answer was received within 4 months, a second invitation letter was sent. All patients were diagnosed by an experienced MS neurologist with special interest in NMO. Inclusion criteria for NMO spectrum disorders were as follows: 1. NMO Diagnostic Criteria positive-fulfill criteria pub-lished in 2006 (5). 2. NMO Diagnostic Criteria negative-NMO-IgG anti-body present with either severe ON or severe TM and clinically suspected NMO (patients with either bilateral simultaneous ON or TM plus normal brain magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and contiguous spinal cord lesions over at least 3 segments) (12). Patients with RRMS, based on the modified McDonald criteria (13), and healthy controls were recruited from the University of British Columbia Hospital MS clinic, accom-panying persons and hospital staff. We aimed to match for age (65 years) and refraction (62 diopters). Exclusion criteria included patients with a recent history of ON (,6 months), history of ocular disease (including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, and glaucoma), history of diseases that could mimic MS or NMO, neurodegenerative conditions that could impact OCT testing (Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease), and subjects with difficulty maintaining fixation and/or myopic refraction of more than 25.0 diopters. Exclusion criteria were the same for controls as for NMO and MS patients. This study was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Board at the University of British Columbia. A patient information sheet was provided, and informed consent was obtained before subject enrolment in the study. Clinical Assessment Clinical and demographic data were obtained from the BCMS database, supplemented by chart review, structured question-naires, and history taking by the study physician (A.L.). Information collected included age, sex, date of symptom onset, history and number of ON events, use of any immunomodulatory drugs (IMDs) or other medications, presence of co-morbidities,MRI findings (all read by a masked radiologist with expertise in NMO and MS), and current Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores. If the EDSS score was not recent (within 6 months) or if new MS symptoms were reported, an EDSS examination was per-formed by an MS neurologist (R.S. or A.T.) at the time of the OCT testing. NMO antibodies were tested in our own laboratory and in at least one other laboratory using ELISA-based techniques (Mayo Laboratories, Rochester, MN; Cal-gary Mitogen Laboratory, Calgary, Canada) or cell-based techniques (Tohoku Laboratory, Sendai, Japan). If 1 result was positive, antibody status was rated as positive. To minimize misdiagnosis of the antibody-negative cohort, these cases were independently reviewed by 2 other physicians. Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Testing All cases and controls were assessed by a neuro-ophthalmologist specialized in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) (A.L.), using the RNFL protocol of Heidelberg Spectralis SD-OCT (Software version 5.1.2; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) in high-resolution mode (axial resolution 3.8 mm, 19,000 scans per second). Sixteen consecutive circular B-scans (each composed of 1,536 A-scans) with a diameter of 3.4 mm were automatically averaged to reduce speckle noise. The online tracking system compensated for eye movements. Several scans were taken without pupil dilation, with the best centered with a quality of at least 25 (14) chosen for analysis. The software algorithm provided objective refraction (spherical equivalent) and the RNFL thick-ness for the temporal, superior, nasal, and inferior quadrants and the overall mean of these quadrants. Statistical Analysis Pairwise Wilcoxon rank sum tests with Holm correction were used to compare RNFL thickness among 6 groups (NMO, RRMS, and healthy control) of patients (without or with 1 or more history of ON). These were performed separately for NMO or RRMS ON eyes and non-ON eyes. For NMO patients, Spearman rank correlation and Pearson correlation were used to examine the association between RNFL thickness and disability (EDSS) and between RNFL thickness and disease duration, respectively. These were performed for all NMO eyes and then separately for NMO ON eyes and non-ON eyes. Furthermore, a linear mixed-effects model was developed to examine the associa-tion between RNFL thickness and patient characteristics, 214 Lange et al: J Neuro-Ophthalmol 2013; 33: 213-219 Original Contribution Copyright © North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. which include sex, current age, disease duration, disability (EDSS) (grouped as: ,2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, $4.5), history of ON (present, absent), refraction, use of current IMD (ever, never), ethnicity (Asian/Caucasian), and NMO diagnostic cri-teria positive/negative status, while adjusting for within-patient intereye correlations (i.e., 2 eyes from the same person are correlated). The association between RNFL thickness and patient characteristics initially was assessed univariately. If con-sidered clinically important (i.e., the EDSS) or statistically sig-nificant (disease duration) from the univariate analysis, then the model was also adjusted for the history of ON (ever, never). Complementary analyses were performed for each quadrant of the overall RNFL thickness (inferior, superior, temporal, and nasal). Statistical analyses were performed using R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing V.2.13.2 (R Foun-dation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria; 2011). Main Outcomes The primary outcome measures were RNFL thickness in NMO patients, RRMS patients, and healthy controls. Secondary outcomes measures were correlation between RNFL in NMO eyes, EDSS, and disease duration. Furthermore, RNFL values in unilateral ON eyes were compared between the NMO and the RRMS groups. RESULTS Patient Demographics and Clinical Characteristics An invitation letter was sent to 40 NMO patients. Twenty positive responses were received after first contact and an additional 7 after second recruitment letter. These 27 patients with NMO spectrum disorder initially consented and under-went SD-OCT. However, 2 NMO patients had to be excluded due to high myopic refraction (more than 25.0 diopters), leaving 25 patients in the NMO group. Twenty-five gender-, age-, and EDSS-matched patients with RRMS, according to the modified McDonald criteria (13) and 50 healthy controls were included. A demographic summary of our study patients is given in Table 1. The 3 groups were broadly similar for age and refraction, although differed by disease duration (NMO disease duration shorter than MS) and by gender (with more men included in the control group). Fifteen of the 25 NMO patients fulfilled the NMO diagnostic criteria and 10 patients met our additional criteria for NMO spectrum disorder (3 with pos IgG and ON; 3 with positive IgG and TM; 2 with bilateral simultaneous ON, normal brain MRI and spinal cord lesions; and 2 with TM, normal brain MRI, and spinal cord lesions). Five patients (10 eyes) had no previous history of ON, 11 (22 eyes) had a history of bilateral ON, and 9 (18 eyes) had a history of unilateral ON. In the ON group, there were 5 eyes affected by 2 or more ON events, whereas the remaining eyes (n = 26) were affected by a single ON event. Twenty patients had a history of TM. Eight patients who fulfilled NMO diagnostic criteria had positive NMO-IgG titers, 6 were tested negative, and 1 patient was not tested. In the negative group, 6 were tested IgG positive and 4 were negative. Twenty-two patients had MRI spine findings con-sistent with NMO (spinal cord lesion .3 segments). In the MS group, 17 patients had no history of ON, 5 had a history of bilateral sequential ON, and 3 had a history of unilateral ON. Thus, 13 eyes (26%) were previously affected by single ON. None of the eyes had a history of 2 or more ON events. Main Outcomes The overall and different quadrant RNFL values of different groups are shown in Table 2, P-values between different groups are shown in Table 3. NMO eyes with history of 1 ON event had 34% lower RNFL thickness compared with NMO non-ON eyes (P , 0.0001). The mean intereye dif-ference in the RNFL thickness (non-ON eyes2ON eyes) for NMO patients with unilateral ON was 36.3 mm (SD619.45 mm, P = 0.005) and 16.7 mm (SD 617.0 mm, P = 0.25) for MS eyes with unilateral ON (Wilcoxon signed rank test). Mean RNFL values in NMO ON eyes tended to be thinner compared with MS ON eyes, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.46). Mean RNFL values in NMO non-ON eyes were not different from healthy controls TABLE 1. Demographic data of neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis patients and controls NMO MS Control Number of Subjects 25 25 50 Mean age (6SD) (years) 49.60 (612.94) 43.5 (69.1) 49.2 (610.2) Gender, F:M 22:3 23:2 27:23 Mean RNFL SD-OCT (6SD) (mm) 74.12 (623.20) (50 eyes) 88.16 (616.81) (50 eyes) 98.44 (68.81) (100 eyes) Refraction (6SD) (diopters) 21.08 (62.10) (50 eyes) 21.32 (62.68) (50 eyes) 20.34 (61.73) (100 eyes) Median EDSS (range) 2.50 (0.0-8.0) 2.50 (1.0-6.5) N/A Mean disease duration (6SD) (years) 7.64 (64.73) 12.11 (68.30) N/A On disease modifying therapy (%) 68 44 0 EDSS, expanded disability status scale; F, female; M, male; MS, multiple sclerosis; NMO, neuromyelitis optica; RNFL, retinal nerve fiber layer; SD, standard deviation; SD-OCT, spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Lange et al: J Neuro-Ophthalmol 2013; 33: 213-219 215 Original Contribution Copyright © North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. (P = 0.56). Mean RNFL values in MS non-ON eyes were different from healthy controls (P = 0.03). NMO non-ON eyes were not different from MS non-ON eyes (P = 0.56). Secondary Outcomes RNFL thickness was not associated with EDSS scores (r = 20.21, P = 0.13, Spearman correlation) but lower RNFL values were associated with longer disease duration (r = 20.34, P = 0.02, Pearson correlation) when looking at the whole NMO group. No correlation was found when analysis was repeated on the NMO non-ON eyes (EDSS: r = 20.13, P = 0.62; disease duration: r = 0.17, P = 0.52) or when analysis was repeated on the NMO ON eyes (EDSS: r = 20.33, P = 0.06; disease duration: r = 20.32, P = 0.07). TABLE 2. Overall and quadrant retinal nerve fiber layer values for neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis patients and controls NMO Patients NMO Without Optic Neuritis (N = 18) NMO With 1 Optic Neuritis (N = 26) NMO With .1 Optic Neuritis (N = 6) Overall RNFL 97.00 (611.14); 84-116 63.69 (618.32); 36-94 50.67 (68.09); 38-61 Quadrant measurements Temporal 77.39 (611.31); 58-99 52.04 (617.19); 26-96 47.33 (69.50); 39-59 Inferior 123.83 (617.94); 92-151 84.50 (626.51); 37-128 60.50 (69.07); 49-71 Nasal 70.61 (613.88); 44-99 41.35 (615.54); 10-74 32.67 (611.89); 13-46 Superior 116.28 (620.89); 52-140 76.42 (625.70); 36-121 61.33 (611.34); 49-76 MS Patients MS Without Optic Neuritis (N = 37) MS With 1 Optic Neuritis (N = 13) Healthy Controls (N = 100) Overall RNFL 93.19 (614.41); 63-136 73.85 (615.20); 50-97 98.44 (68.81); 79-127 Quadrant measurements Temporal 68.05 (611.88); 37-96 56.69 (621.32); 29-94 70.98 (611.16); 49-103 Inferior 120.51 (619.72); 88-180 96.77 (619.24); 57-126 127.38 (614.31); 96-177 Nasal 74.38 (618.29); 38-127 48.77 (614.75); 27-66 74.00 (612.77); 53-108 Superior 109.57 (625.32); 44-173 93.54 (622.94); 59-130 121.24 (615.96); 91-156 Retinal nerve fiber layer values (mm): mean (6standard deviation); range. MS, multiple sclerosis; NMO, neuromyelitis optica; SD, standard deviation; RNFL, retinal nerve fiber layer. TABLE 3. Statistical analysis of overall retinal nerve fiber layer thickness for neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis patients and controls Patient Groups Healthy Controls P value (Pairwise Wilcoxon Rank Sum Tests With Holm Correction) NMO without ON (n = 18) n = 100 0.56 97.00 (611.14); 84-116 98.44 (68.81); 79-127 NMO with 1 ON (n = 26) Healthy controls (n = 100) ,0.0001 63.69 (618.32); 36-94 98.44 (68.81); 79-127 NMO with .1 ON (n = 6) Healthy controls (n = 100) 0.0005 50.67 (68.09); 38-61 98.44 (68.81); 79-127 MS without ON (n = 37) Healthy controls (n = 100) 0.03 93.19 (614.41); 63-136 98.44 (68.81); 79-127 MS with 1 ON (n = 13) Healthy controls (n = 100) ,0.0001 73.85 (615.20); 50-97 98.44 (68.81); 79-127 NMO with 1 ON (n = 26) NMO without ON (n = 18) ,0.0001 63.69 (618.32); 36-94 97.00 (611.14); 84-116 MS with 1 ON (n = 13) MS without ON (n = 37) 0.005 73.85 (615.20); 50-97 93.19 (614.41); 63-136 NMO with .1 ON (n = 6) MS with 1 ON (n = 13) 0.03 50.67 (68.09); 38-61 73.85 (615.20); 50-97 NMO with 1 ON (n = 26) MS with 1 ON (n = 13) 0.46 63.69 (618.32); 36-94 73.85 (615.20); 50-97 NMO without ON (n = 18) MS without ON (n = 37) 0.56 97.00 (611.14); 84-116 93.19 (614.41); 63-136 Retinal nerve fiber layer values (mm): mean (6standard deviation); range. MS, multiple sclerosis; NMO, neuromyelitis optica; ON, optic neuritis. 216 Lange et al: J Neuro-Ophthalmol 2013; 33: 213-219 Original Contribution Copyright © North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Linear Mixed-Effect Model Analysis The linear mixed-effects model indicated that the mean RNFL measurements were not associated with gender, age, disability (EDSS), refraction, IMD, ethnicity, or NMO diagnostic criteria status (P . 0.1, Table 4), although RNFL measurements were associated with a history of ON (P , 0.001, Table 4) and disease duration (P = 0.03). If the model was adjusted for history of ON, neither EDSS nor disease duration was associated with RNFL thickness (P . 0.1). DISCUSSION Histopathologically, NMO is characterized by acute inflammation associated with neutrophilic and eosino-philic infiltrate, demyelination, and destructive necrotizing cavitation, with vascular hyalinization (thickening) and IgG and complement deposition, which destroys perivas-cular neural parenchyma (15,16). The intense inflamma-tory activity in NMO eyes can result in pronounced RNFL atrophy. However, MS lesions exhibit demyelin-ation and inflammation with less axonal loss than in NMO (8), indicating the potential to distinguish NMO from MS, based on severity of RNFL loss after an episode of ON. Our primary objective was to compare RNFL thickness between NMO, RRMS patients, and healthy controls and to evaluate if severity of RNFL deficit could help distinguish NMO patients early in their disease. We observed RNFL thinning in NMO ON eyes compared with unaffected eyes or healthy control eyes, whereas unaffected NMO eyes were not significantly different from healthy controls. TABLE 4. Associations between patient characteristics and overall retinal nerve fiber layer thickness using the linear mixed-effects model* Overall RNFL Thickness Patient Characteristic Coefficient (95% CI) P value Gender Male 1 (reference) Female 20.70 (224.61 to 23.20) 0.95 Current age (years) 0.02 (20.59 to 0.64) 0.94 Disease duration (years) 21.68 (23.19 to 20.16) 0.03 Disability (EDSS) #2 1 (reference) 2.5 1.36 (219.86 to 22.57) 0.90 $3 and #4 214.92 (236.93 to 7.10) 0.17 $5 27.00 (229.02 to 15.02) 0.52 ON No 1 (reference) Yes 236.00 (245.49 to 226.52) ,0.001 Refraction (diopters) 0.65 (23.08 to 4.38) 0.72 Treatment Yes 1 (reference) No 1.46 (215.18 to 18.10) 0.86 Ethnicity Asian 1 (reference) Caucasian 10.11 (24.82 to 25.03) 0.17 NMO diagnostic criteria present 1 (reference) 212.14 (227.95 to 3.67) 0.13 Adjusted models: Disability (EDSS) #2 1 (reference) 2.5 0.92 (216.10 to 17.93) 0.91 $3 and #4 0.53 (217.62 to 18.67) 0.95 $5 210.09 (227.76 to 7.58) 0.25 ON No 1 (reference) Yes 237.06 (247.07 to 227.06) ,0.001 Disease duration (years) 20.84 (22.12 to 0.45) 0.19 ON No 1 (reference) Yes 234.78 (244.38 to 225.17) ,0.001 *The model accounts for within-patient intereye correlations. CI, confidence interval; EDSS, expanded disability status scale; NMO, neuromyelitis optica; ON, optic neuritis; RNFL, retinal nerve fiber layer. Lange et al: J Neuro-Ophthalmol 2013; 33: 213-219 217 Original Contribution Copyright © North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Ratchford et al (8) reported, in a cross-sectional study on 26 NMO patients, a small difference in RNFL between NMO non-ON eyes (n = 8) and healthy controls (97.9 mm inNMO, 96.3 mm in TM, and 102.4 mm in healthy controls), all of which were not significantly different (Table 5). We used the newer generation SD-OCT with higher resolution and a larger sample size (n = 18) and did not find any significant difference between these groups. This may be due to the more acute course of NMO relapses with no significant disease activity between such episodes (i.e., secondary progressive pattern) (17) compared with gradual RNFL loss observed in MS (18) patients mainly due to on-going brain atrophy that implicates a different pathophysiology. Naismith et al (15) and Nakamura et al (19) have shown more severe RNFL thinning inferiorly and superiorly in NMO eyes compared with MS eyes. In our study, this was not the case. One reason could be that we used the higher resolution SD-OCT compared with the Stratus OCT, which is harder to center and only slight decentration can result in artificial thinning. Other authors also have shown similar differences in RNFL thickness between MS ON eyes and NMO ON eyes (16) and MS ON eyes, NMO eyes, and healthy controls (20,21) using older time domain-OCT technology (Table 5). Due to a relatively large overlap between RNFL value ranges in NMO eyes with a single episode of ON and MS eyes with ON, it is difficult to use RNFL to differentiate between NMO and MS ON (Table 2). In contrast to MS ON eyes, we found no difference between the unaffected NMO eyes and the healthy controls. Therefore, an alterna-tive might be to use the intereye difference in RNFL values between affected and unaffected eyes in patients with a his-tory of an isolated ON event to distinguish NMO from MS ON. Our data showed a difference of 36.3 mm (n = 10) in the NMO group compared with 16.7 mm (n = 3) in the MS group. Unfortunately, the majority of the MS cohort stud-ied consisted of patients with bilateral sequential ON, and only 3 patients with unilateral ON in the MS group. We found that a difference of more than 20 mm in RNFL was more likely to occur in NMO (70%, 7 of 10) than in MS (33%, 1 of 3) eyes. This could be a better diagnostic marker than RNFL in ON eyes alone because it uses both findings TABLE 5. Published reports of RNFL thickness in patients with NMO and MS Ratchford et al (8) Naismith et al (15) De Seze et al (20) Merle et al (21) Green and Cree (16) Nakamura et al (19) Current Study Number of patients NMO 26 22 35 15 16 18 25 MS 378 47 - 15 20 14 25 Control 77 - 15 23 - - 29 Number of eyes NMO ON 22 30 62 25 24 36 31 NMO NON 8 14 8 5 16 - 19 MS ON 157 65 - 23 27 28 13 MS NON 338 29 - 7 5 - 37 Control 77 - 30 46 - - 58 Gender F/M NMO - 17/5 20/9 14/1 14/2 18/0 22/3 MS - 39/8 - 14/1 16/4 12/2 23/2 Control - - 11/4 22/1 - - 17/12 Mean age NMO 41 (13) 42.9 40.6 41 41 46.6 50.1 MS 39 (10) 42.3 - 40.4 41 39.5 43.5 Control 38 (12) - 40.3 40 - - 49.2 Mean EDSS NMO - 4.5 - 4.9 - - 3.5 MS - 2.7 - 3.4 - - 3.0 Mean RFNL NMO ON 63.6 (20.3) 54.8 (3.7) 74.2 65.44 59.2 63.8 63.9 NMO NON 97.9 (18.3) - 101.8 - - 106.4 98.3 MS ON 88.3 (16.3) 76.5 (2.4) - 83.85 82 84.3 73.9 MS NON 97.4 (13.9) - - - - 109.5 93.2 Control 102.4 (11.0) - 102.3 106.3 - - 98.4 OCT Stratus Stratus Stratus Stratus Stratus Stratus Spectralis NMO IgG positive 60% - 58.6% 69% 100% 57% EDSS, expanded disability status scale; F, female; M, male; MS, multiple sclerosis; NMO, neuromyelitis optica; NON, no optic neuritis; OCT, optical coherence tomography; ON, optic neurotis; RNFL, retinal nerve fiber layer. 218 Lange et al: J Neuro-Ophthalmol 2013; 33: 213-219 Original Contribution Copyright © North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. and integrates them in a single number. This was also sug-gested by Ratchford et al (8), noting that after a first episode of unilateral ON, RNFL difference of more than 15 mm between eyes should prompt consideration of an NMO spectrum disorder. Distinguishing NMO from MS based on the difference in RNFL thickness after unilateral ON requires further studies comparing larger cohorts of NMO and MS patients with a history of unilateral ON to establish a reliable threshold to separate the 2 entities. Shortcomings of our study primarily were due to a relatively small sample size and type of patients enrolled. As we were trying to find a diagnostic test that helps identifying NMO patients early in the disease stage, diagnosis of NMO spectrum disorders was based on clinical diagnosis of the neurologist (reviewed by 2 other independent neurologists) rather than on seropositivity. 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