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The AVD in oxygen saturation is altered in patients with acute ON. In the early stage of ON, AVD could reflect inflammatory and metabolic changes in the affected eye. Therefore, oximetry could be used as another diagnostic method in MS patients in suspicion of ON. This result would be promising for future investigation in this field.

Purpose Optic neuritis (ON) is an inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the optic nerve, which can be the first manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS). The main goal was to assess changes in the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and in retinal oxygen saturation [arterial (AS), venous (VS) and arterio‐venous (A‐V) difference] in the affected and unaffected eye. Methods Fifty patients with ON due to MS within 3 months of onset of symptoms were enrolled (17 males, mean age 35.3). All patients were examined at baseline (V1) and after 6 months (V2) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) to get RNFL values; automatic retinal oximetry to obtain saturation values; and ultrasound to exclude arterial stenosis, and orbital colour Doppler imaging was performed in the ophthalmic artery. Results At V1, AS was significantly increased in affected eye compared to unaffected eye (99.5% versus 98.0%, p = 0.03). Significant decrease in A‐V difference from baseline was detected in both eyes for ON eye: 32.0% versus 29.0%, p = 0.004; for fellow eye: 31.4% versus 30.0%, p = 0.04. We did not observe any changes in retinal vessel diameter. There were no changes observed in blood flow in ophthalmic artery. At V1, there were no significant differences in RNFL, and significant loss of RNFL was confirmed in the affected eye at V2 (95 μm versus 86 μm, p = 0.0002) and in comparison with the fellow eye (86 μm versus 94 μm, p = 0.0002). There were no correlations between RNFL and saturation values at V1, although at V2, there was a negative correlation between the RNFL and AS (Spearman's rho = −0.480, p = 0.003) and between the RNFL and VS (rho = −0.620, p = 0.00007). Conclusion Retinal oximetry is altered in both eyes in MS patients with unilateral ON. During the course of the disease, the retinal oxygen consumption decreases to a different degree in each eye and this change is not completely followed by changes in the RNFL thickness, suggesting either sub‐clinical ON or systemic effects in the clinically unaffected eye. Since this is the first and initial longitudinal evaluation of the saturation changes in MS patients, the clinical value of these findings needs to be deeper evaluated in the future studies.

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The aim of the study was to obtain the values of oxygen saturation in retinal vessels and ophthalmic blood flow parameters in a healthy Caucasian population and assess whether the oximetry parameters are affected by the flow rate or the vascular resistance. Methods: The spectrophotometric retinal oximetry and colour Doppler imaging (CDI) of retinal vessels were successfully performed with 52 healthy subjects (average age 29.7 AE 5.6 years). The retinal oximeter simultaneously measures the wavelength difference of haemoglobin oxygen saturation in retinal arterioles and venules. The arteriolar and venular saturation in both eyes was measured. The peak systolic (PSV) end diastolic (EDV) velocities, resistive (RI) and pulsatility (PI) indices were obtained for both eyes using CDI in the ophthalmic artery. A paired ttest and two sample t-tests were used for statistical analyses. The correlation was assessed using the Pearson coefficient correlation. Results:The mean oxygen saturation level was 96.9 AE 3.0% for the retinal arterioles and 65.0 AE 5.1% for the retinal venules. The A-V difference was 31.8 AE 4.6%. The mean of the measured haemodynamic parameters was PSV 46.6 AE 9.4 cm/s, EDV 12.0 AE 3.5 cm/s, PI 1.68 AE 0.38 and RI 0.74 AE 0.05. No significant difference in oxygen saturation and haemodynamic parameters was found between the left and the right eyes or the dominant and non-dominant eye. The oximetry and ultrasound values were sex independent. The Pearson correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant yet weak negative correlation between A-V difference and RI (r = −0.321, p = 0.020). Conclusions: A negative correlation between A-V difference and resistance index was observed, suggesting that reduced oxygen consumption may reflect the increased vascular tone of the ophthalmic vessels, which is likely determined by autoregulatory mechanisms.

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Akutní retrobulbární neuritida (RN) je nejčastější optická neuropatie. Typická RN je projevem demyelinizačního onemocnění a postihuje většinu pacientů s roztroušenou sklerózou. Vyskytují se i atypické formy RN, a to buď ve spojení s jinými autoimunitními nemocemi, nebo izolovaně. Odlišení od ostatních optických neuropatií je zásadní pro výběr léčby a další management pacientů, aby se zabránilo ztrátě zraku. Pomocné vyšetřovací metody zahrnují magnetickou rezonanci, vizuální evokované potenciály a vyšetření mozkomíšního moku. Za poslední desetiletí vstoupilo do klinické praxe několik nových zobrazovacích, laboratorních a elektrofyziologických metod.Klíčová slova: retrobulbární neuritida, optická koherentní tomografie, roztroušená skleróza, magnetická rezonance. Diagnostic options in retrobullar neuritisAcute optic neuritis is the most common optic neuropathy. In its typical form, optic neuritis presents as an inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the optic nerve affecting majority of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Atypical forms of optic neuritis may occur, either in association with other inflammatory disorders or in isolation. Differentiation from other optic neuropathies is vital for treatment choice and further patient management to prevent visual loss. Diagnostic investigations include MRI, visual evoked potentials, and CSF examination. Over the past decade, a number of new imaging, laboratory and electrophysiological techniques have entered the clinical arena.

Backround: We hypothesized that the levels of some markers could be changed in MS in comparison with controls. We studied five inflammatory markers (interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-10, beta-2-microglobulin, orosomucoid). Methods: The study was based on CSF and serum examination in patients with MS and control group (patients with non-inflammatory disease). In the MS patients, the lumbar puncture was indicated and performed at the time of the first clinical symptoms compatible with MS. None of our patients had been treated by corticosteroids before lumbar puncture. The aim of the study was to assess CSF and serum levels of inflammatory markers and compare these levels between MS group and control group. We tried to find inflammatory changes in early stage of MS. Results: CSF and serum examination was performed in 102 patients with newly diagnosed MS meeting McDonald's revised diagnostic criteria (70 females; median 40 years) and 102 control group patients (79 females; median 37,5 years). No statistically significant differences in demographic data between MS patients and control group were found. Significantly higher CSF levels of IL-8 (median 59,1; p b 0.0001, Mann-Whitney U test) and beta-2-microglobulin (median 1,27; p b 0.0001, Mann-Whitney U test) in MS patients group were found. Significantly lower serum levels of IL-8 (median 8,00, p = 0,018, Mann-Whitney U test) were found. Conclusion:The levels of two studied inflammatory markers were found to be increased at the time of first clinical symptoms of MS. As the etiology of MS is still unknown, research on inflammatory and neurodegenerative markers in MS should continue.