Comparison of Optic Canal Diameter in Children With Malignant Infantile Osteopetrosis and Normal Children and the Effects of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation on the Optic Canal Diameter

Purpose:To investigate the difference in the optic canal diameter between children with autosomal recessive malignant infantile osteopetrosis and normal children, and to assess the influence of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation on the optic canal diameter. Methods: Twenty pediatric patients with malignant infantile osteopetrosis and 22 normal control children were included in this study. Eleven patients with malignant infantile osteopetrosis underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The measurements included optical canal diameter and flash visual evoked potential. Comparisons of these measurements between patients with malignant infantile osteopetrosis and normal controls as well as before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were performed. The correlation between age and optic canal diameter was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis. Results: The mean optic canal diameter before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was 1.65 +/- 0.54 mm in patients with malignant infantile osteopetrosis and 3.38 +/- 0.60 mm in the control group (P < .001). The mean optic canal diameter after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was 2.72 +/- 0.66 mm, which was significantly different from the pre-transplantation measurement (P < .001). The P2 latency for the flash visual evoked potential after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (152.3 +/- 36.4 ms) was significantly less than that before transplantation (165.5 +/- 27.7 ms; P = .051). Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between age and optic canal diameter (r = 0.722, P < .001). Conclusions: The optic canal was narrower in pediatric patients with malignant infantile osteopetrosis than in age-matched normal controls. This condition can be relieved through hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and the impaired conductibility of the optic nerve can be improved in some cases.