Signal Alteration in the Optic Nerve Head on 3D T2-weighted MRI: a Potential Neuroimaging Sign of Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To investigate whether a signal alteration (SA) in the optic nerve head (ONH) on 3D T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is associated with glaucomatous optic neuropathy

Materials and Methods: A total of 35 patients with bilateral open-angle glaucoma and 31 age-matched controls underwent 3D high-resolution (0.98 × 0.98 × 1 mm³) T2-weighted MRI and detailed ophthalmologic examinations including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Two independent reviewers blinded to subject data determined mild or prominent SA on 3D T2-weighted MRI for the incomplete or complete loss of ocular hypointense continuity in the ONH, respectively. The prevalence of SAs was compared between the two groups with the chi-square test. The OCT measurements were compared among the eyes with a mild or prominent SA and those without an SA using the Kruskal–Wallis test.

Results: Of the 35 eyes with glaucoma, 26 eyes (74.3%) exhibited an SA in the ONH, whereas it was observed in 5 (16.1%) of the 31 controls (P < 0.001). The eyes with a prominent SA had a significantly different average retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (P = 0.002) and the ONH parameters except for the disk area (all P < 0.001) than those without an SA. The eyes with a mild SA had a significantly narrower neural rim area, larger cup volume, and larger average and vertical cup-to-disk ratios compared with those without an SA (P = 0.011, 0.003, 0.004, and 0.004, respectively)

Conclusions: The SA in the ONH on 3D T2-weighted MRI was significantly more frequent in eyes with open-angle glaucoma than in the controls.

KEYWORDS:

• Glaucoma
• optic nerve head
• magnetic resonance imaging
• optic-disk cup volume
• retinal nerve fiber layer thickness

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Funding

This research was supported by a grant of Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea [grant number HI16C2319].

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Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant of Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea [grant number HI16C2319].