MSGID: 1:317/3 64a7952c   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Multiple sclerosis: New biomarker confirmed for early diagnosis    
      
     Date:   
         July 6, 2023   
     Source:   
         Medical University of Vienna   
     Summary:   
         A study has demonstrated for the first time that diagnosis   
         of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be significantly improved by   
         additionally measuring the thickness of retinal layers in the   
         eye. Use of the procedure helps to detect the condition at an   
         earlier stage and predict its progression more accurately. This   
         can lead to a decisive increase in the chance of improved patient   
         outcomes.   
      
      
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   A study conducted by researchers from the Department of Neurology at   
   MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna has demonstrated for the   
   first time that diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be significantly   
   improved by additionally measuring the thickness of retinal layers   
   in the eye. Use of the procedure, which is already available at the   
   Departments of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, helps to   
   detect the condition at an earlier stage and predict its progression   
   more accurately. This can lead to a decisive increase in the chance   
   of improved patient outcomes. The findings have been published in the   
   journal Neurology.   
      
   As part of their investigation, the research team headed by Gabriel   
   Bsteh and Thomas Berger of the Department of Neurology at MedUni Vienna   
   and University Hospital Vienna collaborated with colleagues from MedUni   
   Vienna and University Hospital Vienna's Department of Ophthalmology and   
   Optometrics to examine 267 MS patients over a period of five years. Their   
   research built on study results published in 2022, which showed that   
   MS relapse-related damage to the retina reflects the degree of damage   
   caused to the patient's brain. The previous study also demonstrated that   
   a 5 micrometre (mym) reduction in the thickness of the retinal layer   
   following optic neuritis indicated a doubling of the risk of permanent   
   disability after the next relapse. Thanks to the latest research with   
   the large cohort of MS patients, the research team has confirmed that   
   the thickness of the retinal layer can be used as a precise biomarker   
   to assist early diagnosis.   
      
   Diagnostic procedure already available The researchers used a procedure   
   known as optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure the thickness   
   of the retinal layer. An imaging method that uses infrared light, OCT   
   allows for the generation of high-resolution, three- dimensional images   
   of extremely thin layers of tissue measuring just a few micrometres   
   (1 mym is 1/1,000th of a millimetre). OCT is also a tool for diagnosing   
   and evaluating the progression of eye diseases such as glaucoma. "So we   
   already have this procedure at our disposal," commented Gabriel Bsteh,   
   first author of the study. He added: "If we use optical coherence   
   tomography alongside the current criteria to diagnose MS, we obtain   
   significantly more accurate results at a much earlier stage. This means   
   we can initiate treatment measures sooner, which considerably improves   
   the long-term prognosis for patients."  Retina as a window on the   
   brain Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune, chronic inflammatory disease   
   that causes inflammation and loss of nerve cells throughout the nervous   
   system. For the most part, patients are unable to feel the consequences of   
   this damage to begin with, so the condition often goes undiagnosed until   
   a late stage, meaning that valuable time is lost during which effective   
   treatment could have been administered. Given that early detection and   
   prognosis of the disease's progression play a decisive role in MS cases,   
   medical researchers have been trying to find improved detection methods   
   for some time now to help avert serious consequences such as impaired   
   mobility and blindness as far as possible. "We have identified a new   
   biomarker for MS diagnosis, namely the retinal layer thickness, which   
   can be likened to a window to the brain," said Gabriel Bsteh, summing up   
   the study's key finding. In the next phases of research, the focus will   
   turn to the importance of retinal layer thickness in measuring responses   
   to MS treatment.   
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Gabriel Bsteh, Harald Hegen, Patrick Altmann, Michael Auer,   
      Klaus Berek,   
         Franziska Di Pauli, Barbara Kornek, Nik Krajnc, Fritz Leutmezer,   
         Stefan Macher, Paulus Stefan Rommer, Karin Zebenholzer, Gudrun   
         Zulehner, Tobias Zrzavy, Florian Deisenhammer, Berthold Pemp,   
         Thomas Berger. Diagnostic Performance of Adding the Optic Nerve   
         Region Assessed by Optical Coherence Tomography to the Diagnostic   
         Criteria for MS. Neurology, 2023; 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207507 DOI:   
         10.1212/WNL.0000000000207507   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230706124618.htm   
      
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