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Measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer and macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in patients with optic nerve head drusen

  • Neurophthalmology
  • Published:
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of optic nerve head drusen (ONHD) on the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) using Cirrus optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods

Fifty-seven eyes of thirty patients with ONHD and thirty-eight eyes of twenty age-matched and sex-matched control subjects underwent circumpapillary and macular scanning using Cirrus OCT. The percentages of eyes with abnormal GCIPL and RNFL values according to the Cirrus normative data were analysed and compared.

Results

Overall, eyes with ONHD showed abnormally reduced values for average and minimum GCIPL thicknesses in 35 % and 45 % of cases compared to 2 % for both values in control eyes (P < 0.001). Average RNFL thickness comparison between eyes with ONHD and normal eyes revealed abnormal thinning in 33 % vs. 0 %, respectively (p = 0.002). The percentage of abnormal thinning increased with higher grades of ONHD for all the parameters evaluated, so that in grade III drusen, values were abnormally reduced in 80 % of eyes in all three analyses. Regarding buried ONHD, 30 % and 4 % of eyes had an abnormally reduced minimum GCIPL and average RNFL thickness, respectively. Furthermore, 26 % of these eyes had abnormal GCIPL exams with a normal or increased RNFL thickness.

Conclusions

Both RNFL and GCIPL analysis reveal significant thinning in eyes with ONHD directly correlated with drusen severity. In buried ONHD, the abnormality rate was significantly higher with GCIPL compared to RNFL evaluation, suggesting that GCIPL analysis might be an early structural indicator of neuronal loss in the setting of thickened RNFL.

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Conflict of interest

None.

Funding/Support

None.

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None.

Author contributions

Design and conduct of the study (AC, GR); collection (AC, LG, ML, NO), management (AC, GR, FJMN), analysis (AC, GR, FJMN), and interpretation of the data (AC, GR, FJMN); and preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript (AC, GR, IC, FJMN).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal. IRYCIS, Carretera de Colmenar Km 9,100, 28034, Madrid, Spain

    Alfonso Casado, Gema Rebolleda, Laura Guerrero, Marina Leal, Inés Contreras, Noelia Oblanca & Francisco J. Muñoz-Negrete

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  1. Alfonso Casado
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  2. Gema Rebolleda
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  3. Laura Guerrero
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  4. Marina Leal
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  7. Francisco J. Muñoz-Negrete
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Correspondence to Alfonso Casado.

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Casado, A., Rebolleda, G., Guerrero, L. et al. Measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer and macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in patients with optic nerve head drusen. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 252, 1653–1660 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-014-2773-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-014-2773-5

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