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Repeatability of nerve fiber layer thickness measurements in patients with glaucoma and without glaucoma using spectral-domain and time-domain OCT

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

Abstract

Background

The aim of this work is to assess the repeatability of spectral-domain-OCT (SD-OCT) retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) thickness measurements in a non-glaucoma group and patients with glaucoma and to compare these results to conventional time-domain-OCT (TD-OCT).

Methods

In a prospective, comparative, observational case-control study, 50 eyes of 25 non-glaucoma and 22 eyes of 11 patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) were included. SD-OCT and TD-OCT circle scans were centered on the optic disc. In each eye, OCT scans were performed three times by two independent observers. RNFL thickness was measured in four quadrants around the optic disc. In addition, the overall mean RNFL thickness was assessed. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficients of variation (COV) were calculated. Inter-observer and inter-OCT repeatability was visualized by using Bland–Altman analysis.

Results

Intra-observer repeatability for TD- OCT was good with an ICCmean RNFL thickness of 0.939 in non-glaucomas and 0.980 in glaucomatous eyes. For SD-OCT, intra-observer repeatability was higher with an ICC of 0.989 for non-glaucomas and 0.997 for glaucomatous eyes. COVs for TD-OCT ranged from 2.9–7.7% in non-glaucomas and from 6.0–13.3% in glaucoma patients. COVs for SD-OCT ranged from 0.3–1% in non-glaucomas and from 0.9–2.3% in glaucomatous eyes. COVs were influenced by various factors. In the glaucoma group, COVs were significantly higher (p < 0.001) compared to the non-glaucoma group. COVs increased by a mean of 5.1% when TD-OCT was used instead of SD-OCT (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

SD-OCT RNFL thickness measurements in healthy volunteers and glaucoma patients showed good intra- and inter-observer repeatability. Especially in glaucomatous eyes, repeatability of SD-OCT was superior to TD-OCT.

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Conflict of interest

None of the authors has any financial interest in any product described in this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Ophthalmology, UniversityHospital Zurich (USZ), Frauenklinikstrasse 24, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland

    Marc Töteberg-Harms, Veit Sturm, Pascal B. Knecht & Jens Funk

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Marcel N. Menke

Authors
  1. Marc Töteberg-Harms
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  2. Veit Sturm
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  3. Pascal B. Knecht
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  4. Jens Funk
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  5. Marcel N. Menke
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marc Töteberg-Harms.

Additional information

The study is registered in the registrar of the U.S. National Institute of Health (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT 01273285).

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Töteberg-Harms, M., Sturm, V., Knecht, P.B. et al. Repeatability of nerve fiber layer thickness measurements in patients with glaucoma and without glaucoma using spectral-domain and time-domain OCT. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 250, 279–287 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-011-1811-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-011-1811-9

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