Retinal vascular density in multiple sclerosis: a 1-year follow-up.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Vascular pathology is increasingly acknowledged as a risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS). Vascular density (VD) is reduced in the eyes of patients with MS on optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography. We performed a 1-year prospective study to estimate VD variations over time and possible clinical correlates.


METHODS
A total of 50 patients with MS underwent spectral domain-OCT and OCT angiography at baseline and after 1-year follow-up. Mixed-effect linear regression models were used to assess variations of each OCT measure and its relation to treatment and clinical outcomes.


RESULTS
We observed an increase in parafovea VD (coefficient, 1.147; 95% confidence interval, 0.081-2.214; P = 0.035). Reduction in parafovea VD was associated with increase in Expanded Disability Status Scale score (coefficient, -0.969; 95% confidence interval, -1.732/-0.207; P = 0.013).


CONCLUSIONS
Retinal VD can improve over time in MS, particularly in patients experiencing disease stability. Longer follow-up, inclusion of early MS cases and combination with conventional markers of MS severity (i.e. brain atrophy) are needed to better define VD as a potential new biomarker.
['Lanzillo|R|R|0000-0001-6388-8180', 'Cennamo|G|G|', 'Moccia|M|M|', 'Criscuolo|C|C|', 'Carotenuto|A|A|0000-0002-1574-9693', 'Frattaruolo|N|N|', 'Sparnelli|F|F|', 'Melenzane|A|A|', 'Lamberti|A|A|', 'Servillo|G|G|', 'Tranfa|F|F|', 'De Crecchio|G|G|', 'Brescia Morra|V|V|']
D000328:Adult D000792:Angiography D004185:Disability Evaluation D018450:Disease Progression D005260:Female D005500:Follow-Up Studies D005584:Fovea Centralis D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009103:Multiple Sclerosis D011446:Prospective Studies D012171:Retinal Vessels D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence
vascular density multiple sclerosis optical coherence tomography parafovea retina