OCT Assessment of Morphological Changes of the Optic Nerve Head and Macula in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Objective: To assess the morphologic changes of the optic nerve head and macula in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) with optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods: Data was extracted from the medical records and Stratus OCT images of IIH patients.

Results: Ninety-one eyes of 48 IIH patients were divided into 3 groups according to their clinical optic disc appearance. Average retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was statistically different between the groups: normal optic disc/mild elevation group (N=20) - 89 μm (95% CI, 80-98 μm), mild elevation group (N=51) - 109 μm (95% CI, 101-117 μm), and papilledema group (N=20) 124 μm (95% CI, 100-153 μm) (P=0.004). Fast macular thickness map did not demonstrate a significant difference between the groups for most measured macular areas (N=49 eyes).

Conclusions: Peripapillary RNFL measurements correlated with the clinical appearance of the optic discs, suggesting that OCT may assist in the follow up of IIH patients.