Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measured by optical coherence tomography in different clinical subtypes of multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with axonal degeneration as major determinant of neurological disability. Assessment of unmyelinated retinal nerve fibers using optical coherence tomography (OCT) may be useful for diagnosing the onset and rate of progression of neurodegeneration.

Objective: To assess the incidence and severity of damage of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in two different MS subtypes: non-progressive [Prog(-)MS] and progressive [Prog(+)MS].

Decreased endothelin-1 plasma levels in multiple sclerosis patients: a possible factor of vascular dysregulation?

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system with possible involvement of vascular dysregulation secondary to endothelial dysfunction caused by destruction of the vessel wall. Vascular dysregulation leads to excessive vasoconstriction or insufficient vasodilatation, resulting in vasospasm mediated by endothelin-1 (ET-1), the most potent and long-lasting mediator. Vascular dysregulation can play an important role in the pathogenesis of some eye disorders and it has been hypothesized that it is a vascular risk factor for glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

Psychogenic axial myoclonus: report on two cases.

Axial myoclonus (AM) is characterized by sudden muscle jerks involving axial and proximal muscles. It includes propriospinal myoclonus (PSM) which consists of trunk flexion or extension jerking with activity arising in axial muscles and spreading to caudal and rostral muscles at low velocity along propriospinal pathways. We report on two patients displaying flexion AM jerks in the absence of structural lesion of the central nervous system or electrophysiological evidence of organic origin.

[Application of retinal nerves fiber layer examination--GDx in patients with multiple sclerosis].

Purpose: The purpose of our study is to evaluate retinal fiber layer thickness with scanning polarymetry laser (GDx), in patients suffering from SM with or without optic nerve symptoms. Multiple sclerosis proceeds to neurodegenerative changes and commonly appears with retrobulbar optic nerve damage. Examination of retinal nerves fiber layer examination with scanning laser polarymetry (GDx) enables to perform quantitative evaluation of retinal nerves fiber layer thickness within the area around the optic nerve disc.

[Glaucoma neuropathy and neuropathy in multiple sclerosis--common elements of pathogenesis?].

Unlabelled: The optic neuropathy in multiple sclerosis and glaucoma neuropathy are very common ophthalmological diseases. Multiple sclerosis /MS/ is the chronic inflammatory central nervous system demyelinisation disease with an autoimmunological ethiology. The last investigation of multiple sclerosis indicate the molecular and cellular autoimmunisation aspects.