Retinal nerve fibre and ganglion cell inner plexiform layer analysis by optical coherence tomography in asymptomatic empty sella patients.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To investigate the clinical importance of the thicknesses of the retinal nerve fibre (RNFL) and ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCL+) by spectral domain optic coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in asymptomatic empty sella (ES) patients.Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional, non-randomized prospective study, 44 ES patients and 74 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were evaluated. All the patients and controls competed an automated 30-2 visual field (VF) test. The mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD), RNFL, and GCL + thickness values obtained with SD-OCT were compared statistically between the two groups.Results: No marked VF defects were found in either group, and there was no statistically significant between-group difference in MD or PSD values. In terms of RNFL thickness, the average and superior quadrant RNFL values of the ES patients were thinner than those of the controls, with statistical significance (p = 0.013 and p = 0.043, respectively). Although other measured RNFL quadrant thicknesses and foveal thickness (FT), macular volume (MV), and average macular thickness (AMT) values were reduced in the ES group, these differences were not statistically significant. The average GCL + value and GCL + values in six sectors in the patient group were significantly lower than those in the control group.Conclusions: Asymptomatic ES patients have a risk of primary ES syndrome and should be followed up using a multidisciplinary approach. Objective and quantitative RNFL and GCL + thickness measurements obtained with OCT can provide valuable data for monitoring these patients.