Are PHOMS a clinical sign of optic neuritis?

PURPOSE: Assess the prevalence and evolution of PHOMS in optic neuritis.

METHODS

We analysed the medical files of 126 patients included in the OCTON cohort. Patients' medical files, digital retinal images and OCT examinations were reviewed, searching for optic nerve head oedema and PHOMS at the initial presentation and during the follow-up.

RESULTS

We included 102 patients in the final analysis. Twenty-nine (29) eyes had optic nerve head oedema at the initial presentation. PHOMS were found to be present in 8 eyes affected with optic neuritis. All cases of PHOMS were associated with optic nerve head oedema. All the PHOMS decreased in size and disappeared with the improvement of the oedema.

DISCUSSION: Our results show that PHOMS is not a common sign of optic neuritis. We didn't observe any case of PHOMS in the absence of optic nerve head oedema in eyes with optic neuritis. PHOMS seem to be a rare sign of optic neuritis associated to optic nerve head oedema, and they tend to disappear with the improvement of the optic nerve head oedema. We suggest that the presence of PHOMS in optic neuritis eyes with no optic nerve oedema should be a considered warning sign.