Imaging the retina and optic nerves can provide crucial information on the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a series of papers presented at this week's Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis in London.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is one noninvasive option, which effectively displays and quantifies retinal pathology, said Dr. Peter Calabresi, director of the MS Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Calabresi said OCT has been validated as a reliable indicator for disease progression in both longitudinal and cross-sectional datasets. He also cited a recent meta-analysis that found OCT retinal scans can accurately predict clinical outcomes five years into the future.
Research in this area of MS currently is focusing on ways to understand the way in which immunomodulatory therapies work, Calabresi added. Another major focus is to find out more about the mechanisms that lead to neuronal loss in MS so researchers can develop new therapies to target MS progression that occurs without discernable inflammatory lesions.
Several other clinical trials have assessed various drugs by studying their effects on patients with optic neuritis. Dr. Raju Kapoor at University College in London told attendees that using visual system imaging to monitor the impact of treatments on optic nerves is one significant advance. The potential of monitoring the response within the visual system also could provide information about how the drug affects lesions elsewhere in the central nervous system, he added.
