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Study: Flavoprotein autofluorescence imaging may help early detection of ocular disease
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A new system for imaging flavoprotein autofluorescence may be useful for helping to earlier detect and monitor retinal and optic nerve diseases, a study by researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor suggests.
Victor M. Elner, MD, PhD, and colleagues measured flavoprotein autofluorescence images obtained from six women with recently diagnosed pseudotumor cerebri to determine the degree of metabolic stress associated with vision loss. They compared these findings with flavoprotein autofluorescence values obtained from an age-matched control group of six healthy women.
All patients had good visual acuity, with either subtle visual dysfunction or no abnormalities, the authors noted.
"Each [flavoprotein autofluorescence] value was greater in the more affected eye of each woman with pseudotumor cerebri, permitting identification of that eye in each case," the authors said.
The researchers reported that mean flavoprotein autofluorescence values were 60% higher in the more affected eyes of women who had pseudotumor cerebri. However, mean flavoprotein autofluorescence values did not differ among healthy, control eyes, according to the study.
"These results demonstrate the clinical utility of [flavoprotein autofluorescence] and may permit early detection and monitoring of retinal and optic nerve diseases," the authors said.
The study is published in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.