Clinical efficacy of optical coherence tomography to predict the visual outcome after endoscopic endonasal surgery for suprasellar tumors

Abstract Objective Prediction of visual outcome following endoscopic endonasal tumor resection still remains a challenge. We investigated the prognostic value of preoperative peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) using the optical coherence tomography (OCT) for visual outcome after endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) for suprasellar tumors. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 122 patients who underwent EES for sellar and suprasellar tumors between January 2016 and January 2018. We retrospectively analyzed the pre- and post-operative relationship between pRNFL thickness and visual outcome, based on the visual acuity (visual acuity score, VAS) and visual field (mean deviation, MD). Results Preoperatively, 216 eyes (mean 94.3 μm ± 12.4, 88.5%) were included in the normal pRNFL group (≥ 70 μm), and 28 eyes (mean 54.3 μm ± 11.0, 11.5%) in the thin pRNFL group ( Conclusion Preoperative pRNFL thickness plays a prognostic value in postoperative visual outcome following EES for sellar and suprasellar tumors. Patients with pRNFL thickness greater than or equal to 70 μm before surgery are more likely to improve the visual outcome than those with that less than 70 μm.