Visual recovery following acute optic neuritis--a clinical, electrophysiological and magnetic resonance imaging study

J Neurol. 2004 Aug;251(8):996-1005. doi: 10.1007/s00415-004-0477-1.

Abstract

This study reports the prospective follow-up of a cohort of patients with acute optic neuritis examined with serial visual tests, visual evoked potentials (VEPs), conventional and triple-dose gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine which factors are important in visual recovery. Thirty-three patients were recruited with acute unilateral optic neuritis. A clinical and VEP assessment was performed on each. Optic nerve MRI was performed using fast spin echo (FSE) (on all) and triple-dose Gd-enhanced T1-weighted sequences (n = 28). Optic nerve lesion lengths were measured. Serial assessments were performed on 22 of the patients up to one-year. Serial Gd-enhanced optic nerve imaging was performed on 15 of the patients until enhancement ceased. The final 30-2 Humphrey visual field mean deviation (MD) was 2.55 dB higher in patients in the lowest quartile of initial Gd-enhanced lesion length compared with the other quartiles (p < 0.01) but recovery was not related to the duration of enhancement. The initial recovery of Humphrey MD was 4.60 dB units per day in patients with good eventual recoveries (MD > -6.0 dB) and 0.99 dB per day in poor-recovery patients (p = 0.02).Good-recovery patients had mean central field VEP amplitudes 2.29 microV higher during recovery than poor-recovery patients (p = 0.047). The results suggest that factors which are associated with a better prognosis are: having a short acute lesion on triple-dose gadolinium enhanced imaging, higher VEP amplitudes during recovery and a steep gradient of the initial improvement in vision.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Evoked Potentials, Visual / physiology*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Gadolinium
  • Humans
  • Linear Models
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Optic Neuritis / pathology
  • Optic Neuritis / physiopathology*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Reaction Time
  • Recovery of Function / physiology*
  • Time Factors
  • Vision, Ocular / physiology*
  • Visual Fields / physiology

Substances

  • Gadolinium