Exploring the Association between Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Initial Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Patients with Acute Optic Neuritis

Table 2

Comparing MRI status, corticosteroid therapy, and RNFL* values in optic-neuritis-affected eyes.

RNFL ON Eyes*	Year 1		P value	Year 2		P-value
	MRI+^§ (𝑛=32)	MRI−^|| (𝑛=18)		MRI+ (𝑛=32)	MRI− (𝑛=18)
Overall (SD)^¶	84.4 (17.3)	80.1 (21.1)	.45	80.9 (16.6)	85.8 (21.6)	.36
Superior	110.8 (22.3)	102.9 (31.9)	.32	106.4 (21.6)	106.6 (29.6)	.98
Inferior	106.3 (25.0)	95.8 (28.7)	.20	99.3 (29.2)	107.9 (33.0)	.35
Nasal	68.1 (19.8)	67.1 (21.7)	.87	67.3 (16.5)	70.1 (21.0)	.61
Temporal	52.4 (17.5)	53.9 (15.2)	.78	49.8 (14.2)	58.5 (18.7)	.07
	Steroid^#; (𝑛=25)	Untreated**; (𝑛=25)		Steroid (𝑛=25)	Untreated (𝑛=25)
Overall (SD)	81.4 (15.8)	84.3 (21.4)	.59	81.8 (18.6)	83.4 (18.7)	.77
Superior	104.7 (22.2)	111.4 (29.7)	.38	104.5 (23.5)	108.5 (25.7)	.57
Inferior	100.7 (22.2)	104.5 (30.5)	.63	102.1 (31.3)	102.8 (30.5)	.94
Nasal	70.5 (21.7)	65.2 (18.6)	.37	67.8 (18.9)	68.8 (17.6)	.85
Temporal	49.5 (14.9)	56.2 (17.7)	.16	52.3 (15.4)	53.3 (17.5)	.88

*Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (μm); ^§baseline magnetic resonance imaging evidence of clinically silent inflammation [8]; ^|| normal baseline magnetic resonance imaging scan; ^¶ mean overall RNFL values (standard deviation) and mean RNFL values in the superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal quadrants; ^# patients treated with the equivalent of 1000 mg of intravenous methylprednisolone for acute management of optic neuritis; **patients not treated acutely for optic neuritis.