Optical coherence tomography predicts visual outcome for pituitary tumors

Abstract

We evaluate if the relationship between optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and visual outcome continued over long-term visual recovery in 107 patients undergoing pituitary decompression. Recently, it has been recognized that OCT of the RNFL has prognostic value in predicting visual outcomes after surgery for chiasmal compression caused by pituitary tumours. Patients were followed up at three time points: pre-operative (visit 1), 6-10 weeks post-operative (visit 2) and 9-15 months follow-up (visit 3). We found that patients with thin pre-operative RNFL had more severe visual field defects (mean deviation [MD] -9.22 versus -3.96 decibels [dB]; p = 0.001)..