Optic nerve atrophy (ONA) is a degenerative and atrophic process arising from many causes (inflammation, swelling, traumatic injury, vascular disorders). Stable clinical characteristics — a sign of favorable course of ONA. The study of the causes that affect the stabilization of atrophic process — an important task and not fully resolved.
Objective. The aim of our study was to identify clinical characteristics depending stabilization atrophic process of timely diagnosis and treatment.
Materials and methods. We studied patients with descending (1667 patients) and ascending (330 patients) ONA, which were consulted by neuro-ophtalmologists during the study period (5 years). We used Kaplan–Mayer method for analyzing the results.
Results and discussions. A statistically significant difference in frequency of clinical progression and the associated decrease in the proportion of clinically stable patients with early and late group of diagnosis of descending ONA. In the group with early diagnosis without pathology progression in 6 months after treatment were 76.5% of patients. With late diagnosis clinical signs of progression are more frequent — only 30.5% of patients after 60 months of observation found no significant signs of progression (p=0.0001). In the group of ascending ONA in the first year of observation 86.7% of patients diagnosed in time (3 months) and 76.5% of patients with late diagnosis had clinical progression of atrophic process. After 36 months of observation 68.0% of the patients of the first group and 47.1% of patients of the second group had a stable clinical picture of ONA. After 5 years of observation, difference, between groups increased and was 60 and 36.5% correspondently.
Concusion. The observed difference between groups with ascending and descending ONA and in groups with early and late diagnosis and treatment according to protocol and without complying with the protocol suggests the dependence term outcomes (effectiveness of follow-up) the timely diagnosis and adequate treatment.