2023-05-12 12:25:41
An international consortium has for the first time developed diagnostic criteria for optic neuritis and a classification of subgroups. These were recently published in The Lancet Neurology.
Optic neuritis is a condition that affects the optic nerve, which is responsible for transmitting visual information from the eye to the brain. It occurs when there is inflammation of the optic nerve, which can lead to vision loss, usually in 1 eye.
The condition can be caused by a number of factors, including infections, autoimmune disorders, and exposure to toxins. It is often associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, there was still no consensus on the classification and diagnostic criteria were not available until recently.
The diagnostic criteria established by the researchers are based on clinical characteristics. More extensive paraclinical testing, using imaging, together with protein biomarker data may lead to a definitive diagnosis of optic neuritis.
These tests can also be applied retrospectively to stored samples and historical brain or retinal scans, which may be useful for future validation studies. According to the authors, the criteria can reduce the risk of misdiagnosis and at the same time provide information about the course of the disease.
Bron:
Petzold A, Fraser CL, Abegg M, et al. Diagnosis and classification of optic neuritis. Lancet Neurol. 2022;21:1120-34.
#Initial #diagnosis #criteria #classification #optic #neuritis