RESUMEN

Background and objectives:This study aimed to evaluate the ability of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to differentiate eyes without obvious visual disturbances following pituitary adenomas (PAs) from normal eyes, in order to identify factors that could predict early diagnosis and timely treatment and prevent structural damage of visual pathway in patients with saddle area tumors. Material and methods:The present study was carried out between 2014-2018. Participants were divided into three groups: 23 subjects (44 eyes) in the PAs with visual field involvement (VFI) group, 10 (20 eyes) in the PAs with normal visual field (NVF) group and 22 subjects (44 eyes) in the control group. All patients received diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), automated perimetry, visual acuity, OCT and ophthalmological assessments. Also, the degree of visual field (VF) deficit and thickness of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) were measured by OCT and then considered for statistical analysis as predictors of early diagnostic visual involvement in the PAs. Results:All patients in the NVF and control groups (a total of 64 eyes) had normal VF. In the VFI group there were 16 eyes with complete hemianopia. Bitemporal hemianopia occurred in 20 eyes and eight eyes with concentric VF narrowing. Assessment of pRNFL thickness with OCT demonstrated the average and all quadrants of pRNFL thickness in the VFI group were significantly thinner than the pRNFL thickness in the other groups (P<0.001). The pRNFL thickness in the inferior and nasal quadrants and the average value in the NVF group were significantly thinner than the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion:If a patient has band atrophy, there is an irreversible damage and the main goal is to diagnose a nerve damage using OCT before band atrophy.