Clinical Research Directory

Use of a Portable Pupillometer to Detect Optic Nerve Impairment in Patients With Suspected Multiple Sclerosis

Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice

Summary

In the diagnosis work-up of inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), the assessment of optic nerve impairments, even in the absence of clinical symptoms, is now systematic, as it may shorten the time to diagnosis and facilitate early treatment initiation. Currently, optic nerve impairments can be assessed using three paraclinical examinations, namely magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), visual evoked potentials (VEP) or optic coherence tomography (OCT). However, these investigations are complex and resource-intensive. The development of a simple, reliable and easily accessible clinical tool could therefore facilitate the detection of optic nerve impairments. Unilateral or asymmetric optic nerve impairments, which are commonly observed in patients with inflammatory disorders of the CNS, translate into a reduction in efficiency of the pupillary light reflex, that can be detected by pupillometry. This technique consists in measuring pupil diameter and its variations and could represent a simple and convenient alternative to conventional investigations. The aim of this study is therefore to compare the results obtained using a portable pupillometer in patients suspected of having an inflammatory disorder of the CNS, with and without optic nerve impairment as detected by conventional methods (MRI, VEP and OCT).

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