This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution-NonCo mmercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Background and purpose: Thinning of the retinal combined ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCIP) as measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a common finding in patients with multiple sclerosis. This study aimed to investigate whether a single retinal OCT analysis allows prediction of future disease activity after a first demyelinating event.Methods: This observational cohort study included 201 patients with recently diagnosed clinically isolated syndrome or relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis from two German tertiary referral centers. Individuals underwent neurological examination, magnetic resonance imaging, and OCT at baseline and at yearly follow-up visits.
Results:Patients were included at a median disease duration of 2.0 months. During a median follow-up of 59 (interquartile range = 43-71) months, 82% of patients had ongoing disease activity as demonstrated by failing the no evidence of disease activity 3 (NEDA-3) criteria, and 19% presented with confirmed disability worsening. A GCIP threshold of ≤77 μm at baseline identified patients with a high risk for NEDA-3 failure (hazard ratio
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.