Infiltrative optic neuropathy (ION) is characterized by the infiltration of tumor cells or inflammatory cells in the optic nerve and its sheath. ION is rare in clinic practice, and ION caused by direct infiltration or metastasis of malignant tumors is easily misdiagnosed as optic perineuritis or optic neuritis, which means delayed proper treatment and makes patients risking possible side effects of steroid therapy. Currently, ophthalmologists are lack of sufficient knowledge about ION, which contributes to the high rate of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis of ION in clinical practice. The diagnosis and treatment of ION have not yet formed systematic standardized guidelines. Therefore, Neuro-ophthalmology Group of Ophthalmology Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized experts to propose consenus of opinions on definition, diagnosis and treatment of ION, which helps to guide clinical diagnosis and treatment of ION, as well as basic researches about ION.
Optic nerve diseases seriously affect visual function, and early accurate diagnosis and effective follow-up are very important for treatment and prognosis. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) are non-invasive and high-resolution imaging techniques, which play increasingly important roles in the diagnosis and treatment of optic nerve diseases. OCT can visually display the structure of retinal nerve fiber layer and macular area, accurately measure the thickness of nerve fiber layer and structural parameters of macular area. OCTA can clearly display the changes of microblood flow around optic disc and retinal blood vessels. The combined use of these two technologies will not only help diagnose and monitor optic nerve diseases, but also deepen our understanding of the pathogenesis of optic nerve diseases. In view of the fact that the application of OCT and OCTA in neuro-ophthalmic diseases involving the optic nerve is still in the development stage in the domestic medical community, it is urgent to formulate a guiding document to regulate and promote the application of these two technologies. To this end, based on a systematic literature review and combined with the current clinical practice of OCT and OCTA in China, we formulated the Expert consensus on the clinical application of optical coherence tomography and angiography in optic nerve diseases. This consensus comprehensively expounds the technical principles and main measurement indicators of OCT and OCTA, the specific application, examination specifications and limitations of OCT and OCTA in clinical diagnosis and follow-up of neuroophthalmic diseases involving optic nerve, aiming to improve the application level of OCT and OCTA by doctors, especially neuroophthalmologists, and better play the role of this advanced imaging technology in neuroophthalmology.