A comparative study of alteration in retinal layer segmentation alteration by SD-OCT in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background To evaluate the feature of different retinal layer segmentation in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and to compare it with that in multiple sclerosis (MS), healthy controls (HC), and idiopathic optic neuritis (ION).

Methods We retrieved four electronic databases, including Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to September 1st, 2021. A meta-analysis was performed to compare different retinal layer segmentation thicknesses between patients with or without a history of optic neuritis (ON) in NMOSD and the control group, including patients with MS, HC, and ION. Results Forty-two studies were included and the interval between the last ON onset and examination was greater than 3 months. Compared with that in HC eyes, the loss of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) was serious in NMOSD eye especially after ON. Moreover, compared with that in ION eyes or MS-related-ON eyes, the injury to the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) was severe in NMOSD-related-ON eyes. In addition, the correlation coefficient between pRNFL and prognostic visual acuity was 0.43. However, the one-arm study revealed the inner nuclear layer (INL) was thickened in NMOSD-related-ON eyes compared with HC eyes.

Conclusions Inclusion of the RNFL and macular GC-IPL is recommended for monitoring disease progression and attention should be paid to changes in the INL.