Imaging of the optic nerve: technological advances and future prospects.

Journal: The Lancet. Neurology
Published Date:

Abstract

Over the past decade, ocular imaging strategies have greatly advanced the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with optic neuropathies. Developments in optic nerve imaging have specifically improved the care of patients with papilloedema and idiopathic intracranial hypertension, inflammatory optic neuropathies, and compressive optic neuropathies. For example, optic nerve imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT) is now widely used as an outcome measure in clinical trials of neurological disorders (eg, demyelinating diseases), and OCT findings could be informative of disease progression in patients with various neurodegenerative disorders (eg, Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease). In the past 5 years, multimodality optic nerve imaging has expanded to systematically include focused and wide-field colour and autofluorescence fundus photographs; various types of optic nerve, macular, and vascular OCT; and specific MRI techniques. Such multimodality imaging makes the diagnosis of optic neuropathies easier and provides objective information on optic nerve damage, which is useful for prognosis. Non-mydriatic ocular fundus cameras and OCT have become readily available in non-ophthalmic settings and could easily be implemented in neurological clinics and emergency departments, allowing for direct access to optic nerve imaging and enabling teleconsultations. In the future, these imaging studies could be used in association with artificial intelligence deep-learning systems, which are already transforming the field of ocular imaging.

Authors

  • Valérie Biousse
    From the Singapore National Eye Center (D.M., D.T., S.S., C.-Y.C., T.Y.W.), Singapore Eye Research Institute (D.M., R.P.N., D.T., C.V., S.S., C.-Y.C., T.Y.W.), Duke-NUS Medical School (D.M., R.P.N., D.T., S.S., C.-Y.C., T.Y.W.), Institute of High Performance Computing, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (J.Z., X.X., Y.L.), and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (S.S., T.Y.W.) - all in Singapore; Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran (M.A.F.); the Department of Ophthalmology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, and the Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (P.F.); the Department of Ophthalmology, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand (K.V.); the Eye Center, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg (W.A.L.), and the Department of Ophthalmology, Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, Mannheim (J.B.J.) - both in Germany; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Unità Operativa Complessa Clinica Neurologica, and Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy (C.L.M.); the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (C.Y.C.), and Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou (H.Y.) - both in China; the Department of Ophthalmology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup, Denmark (S.H.); the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Grenoble-Alpes, and Grenoble-Alpes University, HP2 Laboratory, INSERM Unité 1042, Grenoble (C.C.), Service d'Ophtalmologie, Unité Rétine-Uvéites-Neuro-Ophtalmologie, Hôpital Pellegrin, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, Bordeaux (M.-B.R.), the Department of Ophthalmology, Lille Catholic Hospital, Lille Catholic University, and INSERM Unité 1171, Lille (T.T.H.C.), the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Angers, Angers (P.G.), and Rothschild Foundation Hospital, Paris (C.C.-V.) - all in France; the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva (N.S.); the Department of Neurology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY (L.J.M.); the American Eye Center, Mandaluyong City, Philippines (R.K.); Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London (P.Y.-W.-M.), and Cambridge Eye Unit, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals, and Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair and Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (P.Y.-W.-M.) - all in the United Kingdom; the Save Sight Institute, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney (C.L.F.); the Department of Ophthalmology and Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (J.J.C.); the Department of Neuro-ophthalmology, Sankara Nethralaya, Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India (S.A.); the Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore (N.R.M.); and the Departments of Ophthalmology and Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta (N.J.N., V.B.).
  • Helen V Danesh-Meyer
    Department of Ophthalmology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Amit M Saindane
    Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
  • Cédric Lamirel
    Department of Ophthalmology, Hôpital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild, Paris, France.
  • Nancy J Newman
    From the Singapore National Eye Center (D.M., D.T., S.S., C.-Y.C., T.Y.W.), Singapore Eye Research Institute (D.M., R.P.N., D.T., C.V., S.S., C.-Y.C., T.Y.W.), Duke-NUS Medical School (D.M., R.P.N., D.T., S.S., C.-Y.C., T.Y.W.), Institute of High Performance Computing, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (J.Z., X.X., Y.L.), and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (S.S., T.Y.W.) - all in Singapore; Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran (M.A.F.); the Department of Ophthalmology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, and the Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (P.F.); the Department of Ophthalmology, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand (K.V.); the Eye Center, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg (W.A.L.), and the Department of Ophthalmology, Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, Mannheim (J.B.J.) - both in Germany; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Unità Operativa Complessa Clinica Neurologica, and Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy (C.L.M.); the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (C.Y.C.), and Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou (H.Y.) - both in China; the Department of Ophthalmology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup, Denmark (S.H.); the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Grenoble-Alpes, and Grenoble-Alpes University, HP2 Laboratory, INSERM Unité 1042, Grenoble (C.C.), Service d'Ophtalmologie, Unité Rétine-Uvéites-Neuro-Ophtalmologie, Hôpital Pellegrin, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, Bordeaux (M.-B.R.), the Department of Ophthalmology, Lille Catholic Hospital, Lille Catholic University, and INSERM Unité 1171, Lille (T.T.H.C.), the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Angers, Angers (P.G.), and Rothschild Foundation Hospital, Paris (C.C.-V.) - all in France; the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva (N.S.); the Department of Neurology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY (L.J.M.); the American Eye Center, Mandaluyong City, Philippines (R.K.); Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London (P.Y.-W.-M.), and Cambridge Eye Unit, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals, and Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair and Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (P.Y.-W.-M.) - all in the United Kingdom; the Save Sight Institute, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney (C.L.F.); the Department of Ophthalmology and Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (J.J.C.); the Department of Neuro-ophthalmology, Sankara Nethralaya, Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India (S.A.); the Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore (N.R.M.); and the Departments of Ophthalmology and Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta (N.J.N., V.B.).