The special electrophysiological signs of inherited retinal dystrophies

Open Ophthalmol J. 2012:6:86-97. doi: 10.2174/1874364101206010086. Epub 2012 Oct 31.

Abstract

The study aim was to analyze the electrophysiological signs of inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD). Full-field and multifocal (mf) electroretinography (ERG) was analysed in three groups: 21 normal subjects, 21 randomly selected IRD patients, and 21 patients randomly selected from each of eleven IRD groups. As a result, median, 5-95 and 25-75 interquantile intervals of each full-field and mfERG parameter were estimated for each of the above mentioned groups and compared using a Kruskal-Wallis test. Quantitative and qualitative criteria defined in this study will improve the precision of differential diagnosis, the detection of IRD severity, and the efficacy of treatment. The quantitative and qualitative characteristics of ERG values, established in this study, can be further applied to the creation of software that will allow the automatic classification of the recording into a specific disease and degree of severity.

Keywords: Electrophysiological signs; early differential diagnosis; inherited retinal dystrophies.; visual system.