Can variability of ERG signal pattern help to detect retinal ganglion cell dysfunction in glaucomatous eyes?

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session: Glaucoma

Session Date/Time: Monday 07/09/2015 | 09:30-11:00

Paper Time: 09:50

Venue: Poster Village: Pod 4

First Author: : A.Mavilio ITALY

Co Author(s): :    D. Errico              

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To evaluate variability of steady-state pattern electroretinogram (SS-PERG) signal in normal, suspected, and glaucomatous eyes.

Setting:

Social Health District, Glaucoma Center, Brindisi, Italy

Methods:

Twenty-one subjects with suspected glaucoma due to disc abnormalities (GS), 37 patients with early glaucoma (EG), and 24 normal control (NC) were tested with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), standard automated perimetry (SAP), and SS-PERG. Mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and ganglionar complex cells (GCC) were evaluated. The SS-PERG was recorded five consecutive times and the amplitude and phase of second harmonic were measured. PERG amplitude and coefficient of variation of phase (CVphase) were recorded, and correlation with structural and functional parameters of disease was analysed.

Results:

PERG amplitude was reduced, as expression of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) dysfunction, in EG patients and GS subjects compared to NC patients (P<0.0001). CVphase was significantly increased in EG patients and GS subjects, compared to healthy (P<0.0001), and it was also correlated with PSD (P=0.0009), GCC (P=0.028), and RNFL (P=0.0078) only in EG patients

Conclusions:

Increased intrasession variability of phase in suspected glaucomatous eyes may be a sign of RGCs dysfunction.

Financial Interest:

NONE