Abstract
Purpose
To compare the current (6.3) and a novel software version (6.12) of the RTVue-100 optical coherence tomograph (RTVue-OCT) for detection of glaucomatous inner macular retinal thickness (ganglion cell complex [GCC]) and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) progression.
Methods
In this prospective, observational study, 109 participants (17 healthy controls, 20 patients with ocular hypertension, and 72 patients with glaucoma) were investigated with RTVue-OCT at 6-month intervals (mean follow-up 5 years). One eye per participant was evaluated.
Results
Long-term measurement variability (residual standard deviation) was significantly lower with software version 6.12 than version 6.3 for all parameters in the total population, the normal controls, and the glaucoma group, respectively (p≤0.0065). The between-software-version difference of residual standard deviation did not correlate with the measured thickness for any parameter. In the glaucoma group, the negative GCC slopes (urn/visit) were significantly (p<0.001) steeper, while the negative RNFLT slopes were either similar or less steep with software version 6.12. Significantly more significant negative GCC parameter slopes were found in the glaucoma group and the total population with version 6.12, while no between-software-version difference was seen for the other groups, and for the RNFLT parameters in all groups.
Conclusions
The new software version reduces long-term RNFLT and GCC measurement variability, provides steeper GCC progression slopes, and provides more cases of significant GCC progression slopes in glaucoma than the current software version. Since version 6.12 is employed in the recently introduced Widefield RTVue-XR instrument, it may improve detection of glaucomatous progression in clinical practice.
Keywords
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.