LAUSR

OBJECTIVE Trans bulbar B-mode sonography (TBS) is a recently proposed method but there is little known about its diagnostic accuracy in patients with multiple sclerosis without acute optic neuritis has remained unassessed yet. METHODS In a comparative study, we intended to examine possible differences in optic nerve diameter (OND) and optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) between 60 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 60 individuals as matched healthy controls. RESULTS The OND, ONSD and OND/ONSD ratio in both eyes showed significantly lower amounts in patients compared to healthy controls (p<0.05). There was no correlation between neither OND nor ONSD and factors including gender, age, P100 amplitude, disease duration, history of optic neuritis and number of T2 lesions in MRI (P≥0.05). Expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and p100 Latency parameters were correlated with both OND and ONSD values (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS OND, ONSD and OND/ONSD ratio measured by TBS showed significantly lower amounts among MS patients without current attack compared to their healthy controls indicating a subclinical axonal loss over time. It is suggested that TBS could be an applicable tool for early detection of optic nerve damages along with clinical and para-clinical findings.