Abstract:

Objective  To investigate the characteristics of impairmentto visual function  viameasuring the length of damagedvisual pathway by enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) of optic nerve and detect the thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL) and the ganglion cell complex(GCC) by optic coherence tomography(OCT) in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders(NMOSD) and multiple sclerosis(MS).  Methods  70 patients with NMOSD, 40 patients with MS and 70 healthy people in the Department of Neurology, Second Hospital of Lanzhou Universitywere retrospectively collected. TThe visual enhancement of MRI was used to observe the enhancement features of the pathological lesions and to measure the length of the lesions; the thicknessof RNFL (including the average and superior, inferior, nasal and temporal) and GCC (including the average and superior, inferior) were measured by OCT and compared. Results  Compared with the MS group, the enhancement of visual lesions in NMOSD group was significantly increased, optic chiasm and optic tract were more easily involved, and the length of lesions was significantly increased (P<0.01).  The thickness of RNFL and GCC in NMOSD group and MS group was lower than that in normal control group (P<0.01).  The RNFL and GCC thickness in the NMOSD and MS groups weresignificantly thinner thanthenormal group(P<0.01), and the thickness of RNFL and GCC in the NMOSD group was the thinnest (P<0.01). Conclusion   The impairment of visualpathway inthe NMOSD group involvingthe orbital segment and the suprachiasmatic segment was more extensiveand serious than intheMS group.

Key words: neuromyelitis opticaspectrum disorders, multiple sclerosis, visual function, magnetic resonance imaging of optic nerve, optical coherence tomography