Corneal Confocal Microscopy to Image Small Nerve Fiber Degeneration: Ophthalmology Meets Neurology. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Neuropathic pain has multiple etiologies, but a major feature is small fiber dysfunction or damage. Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) is a rapid non-invasive ophthalmic imaging technique that can image small nerve fibers in the cornea and has been utilized to show small nerve fiber loss in patients with diabetic and other neuropathies. CCM has comparable diagnostic utility to intraepidermal nerve fiber density for diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia and amyloid neuropathy and predicts the development of diabetic neuropathy. Moreover, in clinical intervention trials of patients with diabetic and sarcoid neuropathy, corneal nerve regeneration occurs early and precedes an improvement in symptoms and neurophysiology. Corneal nerve fiber loss also occurs and is associated with disease progression in multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and dementia. We conclude that corneal confocal microscopy has good diagnostic and prognostic capability and fulfills the FDA criteria as a surrogate end point for clinical trials in peripheral and central neurodegenerative diseases.

authors

  • Petropoulos, Ioannis Nikolaos
  • Bitirgen, Gulfidan
  • Ferdousi, Maryam
  • Kalteniece, Alise
  • Azmi, Shazli
  • D'Onofrio, Luca
  • Lim, Sze Hway
  • Ponirakis, Georgios
  • Khan, Adnan
  • Gad, Hoda
  • Mohammed, Ibrahim
  • Mohammadi, Yacob E
  • Malik, Ayesha
  • Gosal, David
  • Kobylecki, Christopher
  • Silverdale, Monty
  • Soran, Handrean
  • Alam, Uazman
  • Malik, Rayaz A.

publication date

  • August 19, 2021

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC8915697

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 84963976434

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/bs.irn.2016.03.008

PubMed ID

  • 35295436

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 2