Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Measurement by 2 Different Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Machines

Abstract

Purpose

TO determine agreement between peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements by 2 spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) instruments.

Methods

This was an observational, cross-sectional study. Both eyes of 89 subjects, 44 healthy subjects (mean age, 47±15 years) and 45 patients with glaucoma (mean age, 55±14 years), were imaged using Cirrus OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. Dublin, CA, USA) and Topcon OCT (3D-OCT1000, Topcon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). One eye was randomly selected in each subject and peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements were compared. Bland-Altman plots were used to assess the level of agreement.

Results

Average peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements were significantly larger with Topcon OCT compared to Cirrus OCT in normal (101±12 vs 91±8 μm, p<0.001) and glaucomatous eyes (89±18 vs 76±16 μm, p<0.001). The limits of agreement for average peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements were poor, (-11 to 32 μm) in normal and (-4 to 30 μm) in glaucomatous eyes.

Conclusions

Peripapillary RNFL thickness values obtained by Topcon OCT are significantly higher than those measured by Cirrus OCT in both normal and glaucomatous eyes. Clinicians should be aware of this discrepancy especially when monitoring patients imaged by different OCT instruments; measured values cannot be used interchangeably.

Keywords

Cirrus OCT Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness Topcon OCT

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Budenz

D.L.

, Anderson

D.R.

, Varma

Determinants of normal retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measured by Stratus OCT. Ophthalmology 2007; 114: 1046–52.

Burgansky-Eliash

, Wollstein

, Chu

Optical coherence tomography machine learning classifiers for glaucoma detection: a preliminary study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2005; 46: 4147–52.

Fang

, Pan

Y.Z.

, Li

, Qiao

R.H.

, Cai

Diagnostic capability of Fourier-Domain optical coherence tomography in early primary open angle glaucoma. Chin Med J 2010; 123: 2045–50.

Wollstein

, Schuman

J.S.

, Price

L.L.

Optical coherence tomography longitudinal evaluation of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol 2005; 123: 464–70.

Yoo

Y.C.

, Park

K.H.

Comparison of optical coherence tomography and scanning laser polarimetry for detection of localized retinal nerve fiber layer defects. J Glaucoma 2010; 19: 229–36.

Hood

D.C.

, Raza

A.S.

, Kay

K.Y.

A comparison of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness obtained with frequency and time domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Opt Express 2009; 17: 3997–4003.

Hood

D.C.

, Fortune

, Arthur

S.N.

Blood vessel contributions to retinal nerve fiber layer thickness profiles measured with optical coherence tomography. J Glaucoma 2008; 17: 519–28.

Jeoung

J.W.

, Park

K.H.

Comparison of Cirrus OCT and Stratus OCT on the ability to detect localized retinal nerve fiber layer defects in preperimetric glaucoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2010; 51: 938–45.

Chen

T.C.

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography in glaucoma: qualitative and quantitative analysis of the optic nerve head and retinal nerve fiber layer (an AOS thesis). Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 2009; 107: 254–81.

10.

Stamper

R.L.

, Lieberman

M.F.

, Drake

M.V.

Becker-Shaffer's Diagnosis and Therapy of the Glaucomas, 8th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2009: 170–87.

11.

Quigley

H.A.

, Addicks

E.M.

, Green

W.R.

Optic nerve damage in human glaucoma. III. Quantitative correlation of nerve fiber loss and visual field defect in glaucoma, ischemic neuropathy, papilledema, and toxic neuropathy. Arch Ophthalmol 1982; 100: 135–46.

12.

Kerrigan-Baumrind

L.A.

, Quigley

H.A.

, Pease

M.E.

, Kerrigan

D.F.

, Mitchell

R.S.

Number of ganglion cells in glaucoma eyes compared with threshold visual field tests in the same persons. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2000; 41: 741–8.

13.

Mwanza

J.C.

, Oakley

J.D.

, Budenz

D.L.

, Anderson

D.R.

; Cirrus Optical Coherence Tomography Normative Database Study Group. Ability of Cirrus HD-OCT optic nerve head parameters to discriminate normal from glaucomatous eyes. Ophthalmology 2011; 118: 241–8.

14.

Wollstein

, Ishikawa

, Wang

, Beaton

S.A.

, Schuman

J.S.

Comparison of three optical coherence tomography scanning areas for detection of glaucomatous damage. Am J Ophthalmol 2005; 139: 39–43.

15.

Huang

, Swanson

E.A.

, Lin

C.P.

Optical coherence tomography. Science 1991; 254: 1178–81.

16.

Savini

, Carbonelli

, Barboni

Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurement by Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography: a comparison between Cirrus-HD OCT and RTVue in healthy eyes. J Glaucoma 2010; 19: 369–72.

17.

Leung

C.K.S.

, Chan

W.M.

, Yung

W.H.

Comparison of macular and peripapillary measurements for the detection of glaucoma: an optical coherence tomography study. Ophthalmology 2005; 112: 391–400.

18.

Sehi

, Grewal

D.S.

, Sheets

C.W.

, Greenfield

D.S.

Diagnostic ability of Fourier-domain vs time-domain optical coherence tomography for glaucoma detection. Am J Ophthalmol 2009; 148: 597–605.

19.

Kiernan

D.F.

, Hariprasad

S.M.

, Chin

E.K.

, Kiernan

C.L.

, Rago

, Mieler

W.F.

Prospective comparison of Cirrus and Stratus optical coherence tomography for quantifying retinal thickness. Am J Ophthalmol 2009; 147: 267–75.

20.

Schuman

J.S.

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography for glaucoma (an AOS thesis). Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 2008; 106: 426–58.

21.

Hong

, Kim

C.Y.

, Lee

W.S.

, Seong

G.J.

Reproducibility of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness with spectral domain Cirrus high-definition optical coherence tomography in normal eyes. Jpn J Ophthalmol 2010; 54: 43–7.

22.

Hodapp

, Parrish

II , Anderson

D.R.

Clinical Decisions in Glaucoma. St. Louis: CV Mosby; 1993: 52–61.

23.

Bland

J.M.

, Altman

D.G.

Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet 1986; 1: 307–10.

24.

Huang

, Liu

, Wu

Macular and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurements in normal eyes with the Stratus OCT, the Cirrus HD-OCT, and the Topcon 3D OCT-1000. J Glaucoma 2011; 20: 118–25.

25.

Knight

O.J.

, Chang

R.T.

, Feuer

W.J.

, Budenz

D.L.

Comparison of retinal nerve fiber layer measurements using time domain and spectral domain optical coherent tomography. Ophthalmology 2009; 116: 1271–7.

26.

Seibold

L.K.

, Mandava

, Kahook

M.Y.

Comparison of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in normal eyes using time-domain and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Am J Ophthalmol 2010; 150: 807–14.

27.

Leite

M.T.

, Rao

H.L.

, Weinreb

R.N.

Agreement among spectral-domain optical coherence tomography instruments for assessing retinal nerve fiber layer thickness. Am J Ophthalmol 2011; 151: 85–92.

28.

Lee

E.S.

, Kang

S.Y.

, Choi

E.H.

Comparisons of nerve fiber layer thickness measurements between Stratus, Cirrus, and RTVue OCTs in healthy and glaucomatous eyes. Optom Vis Sci 2011; 88: 751–8.

29.

De Kinkelder

, de Bruin

D.M.

, Verbraak

F.D.

, van Leeuwen

T.G.

, Faber

D.J.

Comparison of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurements by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography systems using a phantom eye model. J Biophotonics Epub 2012 Jul 19.

30.

Kim

J.H.

, Kim

N.R.

, Kim

, Lee

E.S.

, Seong

G.J.

, Kim

C.Y.

Effect of signal strength on reproducibility of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurement and its classification by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Jpn J Ophthalmol 2011; 55: 220–7.