Diagnostic Performance of Adding the Optic Nerve Region Assessed by Optical Coherence Tomography to the Diagnostic Criteria for MS – PubMed

Background: The optic nerve has been recommended as an additional region for demonstrating dissemination in space (DIS) in diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: To investigate whether adding the optic nerve region as determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) as part of the DIS criteria improves the 2017 diagnostic criteria.

Methods: From a prospective observational study, we included patients with a first demyelinating event who had complete information to assess DIS and a spectral-domain OCT scan obtained within 180 days. Modified DIS criteria (DIS+OCT) were constructed by adding the optic nerve to the current DIS regions based on validated thresholds for OCT inter-eye differences. Time to second clinical attack was the primary endpoint.

Results: We analyzed 267 MS patients (mean age 31.3 years [SD 8.1], 69% female) during a median observation period of 59 months (range: 13 – 98).Adding the optic nerve as a fifth region improved the diagnostic performance by increasing accuracy (DIS+OCT 81.2% vs. DIS 65.6%,) and sensitivity (DIS+OCT 84.2% vs. DIS 77.9%) without lowering specificity (DIS+OCT 52.2% vs. DIS 52.2%).Fulfilling DIS+OCT criteria (≥2 of 5 DIS+OCT regions involved) indicated a similar risk of a second clinical attack (HR 3.6, CI 1.4 – 14.5) compared to a 2.5-fold increased risk when fulfilling DIS criteria (HR 2.5, CI 1.2 – 11.8).When the analysis was conducted according to topography of the first demyelinating event, DIS+OCT criteria performed similarly in both optic neuritis and non-optic neuritis.

Conclusions: Addition of the optic nerve, assessed by OCT, as a fifth region in the current DIS criteria improves diagnostic performance by increasing sensitivity without lowering specificity.

Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that adding the optic nerve as determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a fifth dissemination in space (DIS) criterion to the 2017 McDonald criteria improves diagnostic accuracy.