gms | German Medical Science

102. Jahrestagung der DOG

Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft e. V.

23. bis 26.09.2004, Berlin

Measurement of peripapillary nerve fiber layer thickness by OCT in different distances to the optic nerve head

Meeting Abstract

  • corresponding author A. G. Böhm - Department of Ophthalmology, University of Dresden, Dresden
  • E. Schmidt - Department of Ophthalmology, University of Dresden, Dresden
  • K. Löffler - Department of Ophthalmology, University of Dresden, Dresden
  • L. E. Pillunat - Department of Ophthalmology, University of Dresden, Dresden

Evidenzbasierte Medizin - Anspruch und Wirklichkeit. 102. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Ophthalmologischen Gesellschaft. Berlin, 23.-26.09.2004. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2004. Doc04dogDO.06.04

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/dog2004/04dog054.shtml

Published: September 22, 2004

© 2004 Böhm et al.
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Outline

Text

Objective

To assess which distance to the optic nerve head is most favorable for circular measurements of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) with the OCT to detect differences between glaucoma and normal subjects.

Methods

98 eyes of 67 subjects (normal subjects and POAG patients) were examined by Stratus OCT (Zeiss, Model 3000, Software Version 2.0). Images were scanned in the "proportional circle" mode and analyzed with the "RNFL thickness analysis" protocol. Firstly a circular scan was approximated to the disc margin which was considered as the disc diameter. Circular scans with a diameter of the 1.4-fold, 1.8-fold, and 2.0-fold of the initial circular scan were taken. For each diameter 2 scans were measured consecutively within seconds and means were calculated. Decentered scans were not evaluated and repeated. If not all scans could be analyzed by the OCT software, subjects were excluded. For statistics the Friedman test and the Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction were used.

Results

For 23 normal and 19 eyes of POAG patients a complete set of scans could be analyzed by the OCT software. Mean RNFLT was 140±31μm for the 1.0-fold of the disc diameter, 126±22μm for the 1.4-fold, 99±16μm for the 1.8-fold, and 87±14 μm for the 2.0-fold in the normal subjects, and 111±24μm, 106±23 μm, 78±24 μm, and 79±18 μm in the glaucoma patients, respectively. RNFLT was statistically significant different in scan diameters in both groups (p=0.000). Differences between the groups were statistically significant for the 1.0-fold of the disc diameter (p=0.003), for the 1.4-fold (p=0.01), and for the 1.8-fold (p=0.002), but not for the 2.0-fold of the disc diameter (p=0.10).

Conclusions

RNFLT decreases with increasing distance from the disc margin in normals and glaucoma. Circular scans with a 1-fold and with a 1.8-fold disc diameter seem to be able to differentiate best between glaucoma and normal subjects. As the circular scan directly at the disc margin is most vulnerable to potential decentration errors a 1.8-fold diameter seems to be most advantageous for the differentiation between normals and glaucoma.