Optic Neuritis: Results With Pulse Methylprednisolone

Background: Optic neuritis is a common entity and corticosteroids constitute the first line medical therapy. However, the dose regimen is still a debate. Corticosteroids shorten the period of loss of function caused by optic neuritis. This retrospective study aims to investigate the effectiveness of methylprednisolone in management of optic neuritis.Methods: Fifty five optic neuritis patients, who had been admitted to the Neuro-ophthalmology Division of Department of Neurology of Ege University Faculty of Medicine between 2001 and 2007, underwent evaluation. The results were compared with those in the current literature.Results: Thirty nine patients who were seen during the first ten days of their symptoms received pulse steroid therapy according to the suggested dose regimen in ONTT. Sixteen patients who had been admitted after the first 10 days of their symptoms did not receive any medications. Of the 39 patients, 3 did not comply with the regular follow-ups. The mean improvement time of the remaining 36 patients receiving steroid therapy was 11.1 days. On the other hand, this figure was 41 days for patients that did not receive any medication.Conclusion: Pulse steroid therapy has more favorable results than high dose oral corticosteroid therapy.