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Optical Coherence Tomography of the Optic Disc and the Macula in Neurodegenerative Diseases

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Neuro-Ophthalmology

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Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was introduced in the beginning of the 1990s as a new imaging tool that enables the high-resolution in vivo examination of biological tissues. It was first used in ophthalmology where the OCT technology revolutionized the diagnostics of the conditions of the macula and the vitreo-retinal interface. Today, there is intensive research on the possible applications of OCT in other specialties, e.g., angiology, oncology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and dentistry. In the future, OCT may play an important role in the diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases, owing to the fact that the retina is such a unique place of the nervous system where nerve fibers without myelin sheath forming direct synapses with the central nervous system can be found. These nerve fibers come from the ganglion cells of the retina, leave the eyeball through the lamina cribrosa, and then run towards the lateral geniculate body forming the optic nerve. According to recent studies, a pathological impairment of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) can be observed in numerous neurological conditions. Measuring the thickness of the nerve fiber layer with OCT may therefore be a reliable and accurate non-invasive method for the detection and monitoring of neurodegeneration, which, besides accurate diagnostics, may become an invaluable tool to assess the efficacy of neuroprotective substances.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

    Gábor Márk Somfai M.D., PhD, Erika Tátrai M.D. & Magdolna Simó M.D., PhD

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  1. Gábor Márk Somfai M.D., PhD
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  2. Erika Tátrai M.D.
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  3. Magdolna Simó M.D., PhD
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Correspondence to Gábor Márk Somfai M.D., PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology and Stroke, Unit of Neuro-ophthalmology, Budapest, Hungary

    Judit Somlai

  2. Semmelweis University, Department of Neurology, Budapest, Budapest, Hungary

    Tibor Kovács

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Somfai, G.M., Tátrai, E., Simó, M. (2016). Optical Coherence Tomography of the Optic Disc and the Macula in Neurodegenerative Diseases. In: Somlai, J., Kovács, T. (eds) Neuro-Ophthalmology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28956-4_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28956-4_20

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28956-4

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