Lateral Geniculate Nucleus Volume Determined on MRI Correlates With Corresponding Ganglion Cell Layer Loss in Acquired Human Postgeniculate Lesions

PURPOSE. To quantitatively assess lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) volume loss in the presence of lesions in the postgeniculate pathway and its correlation with optical coherence tomography retinal parameters. METHODS. This was a case control study of patients recruited at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Nine patients who were suffering from lesions in the postgeniculate pathway acquired at least 3 months earlier participated. Retinal parameters were analyzed using spectral domain optical coherence tomography and a newly developed magnetic resonance imaging protocol with improved contrast to noise ratio was applied to measure LGN volume. RESULTS. The affected LGN volume in the patients (mean volume 73.89 +/- 39.08 mm3) was significantly smaller compared with the contralateral unaffected LGN (mean volume 131.43 +/- 12.75 mm3), as well as compared with healthy controls (mean volume 107 +/- 24.4 mm3). Additionally, the ganglion cell layer thickness corresponding with the affected versus unaffected side within the patient group differed significantly (mean thickness 40.5 +/- 4.11 mu m vs 45.7 +/- 4.79 mu m) compared with other retinal parameters. A significant linear correlation could also be shown between relative LGN volume loss and ganglion cell layer thickness decrease. CONCLUSIONS. Corresponding LGN volume reduction could be shown in patients with postgeniculate lesions using a newly developed magnetic resonance imaging protocol. LGN volume decrease correlated with ganglion cell layer thickness reduction as a sign of trans-synaptic retrograde neuronal degeneration.

Automated summary

This study quantitatively assessed the volume loss of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in patients with postgeniculate lesions using a newly developed magnetic resonance imaging protocol, and found a correlation between LGN volume decrease and ganglion cell layer thickness reduction.