J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2012 Jan;53(1):103-110. 10.3341/jkos.2012.53.1.103.

Comparison of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Measured by Spectral-Domain and Time-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

• Lee J
• Song IS
• Kim YJ
• Cha YJ
• Uhm KB

• KMID: 2215251
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2012.53.1.103

Abstract

PURPOSE
To compare retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measured by time domain (Stratus) and spectral domain (3D) optical coherence tomography (OCT).
METHODS
Sixty-nine normal subjects and 92 glaucoma patients were included in the present study. Peripapillary RNFL thickness was measured with Stratus fast RNFL scan and 3D optic disc cube scan on the same day. The relationship between RNFL thickness measurements of the two OCTs were evaluated using a Pearson's correlation analysis. A Bland-Altman plot was used for the comparison of Stratus-OCT and 3D-OCT.
RESULTS
In all subjects, average, superior, and inferior quadrant RNFL thicknesses measured by Stratus-OCT were thicker than those measured by 3D-OCT. In contrast, temporal and nasal quadrant RNFL thicknesses measured by 3D-OCT were thicker than those measured by Stratus-OCT. Although there were absolute value differences in RNFL thicknesses, high correlation was observed between Stratus-OCT and 3D-OCT (average: r = 0.897, temporal quadrant: r = 0.728, superior quadrant: r = 0.811, nasal quadrant: r = 0.678, and inferior quadrant: r = 0.905). Bland-Altman plots showed that Stratus-OCT values were greater than 3D-OCT values with relatively high RNFL thickness and the opposite with low RNFL thickness.
CONCLUSIONS
For thicker RNFL, Stratus-OCT measurements tend to be greater than 3D-OCT, while for thinner RNFL, 3D-OCT measurements tend to be greater than Stratus-OCT. This difference must be taken into account if comparing measurements made with a Stratus-OCT to the measurements of a 3D-OCT.

Keyword

Glaucoma; Retinal nerve fiber layer; Spectral domain optical coherence tomography

MeSH Terms

Glaucoma
Humans
Nerve Fibers
Retinaldehyde
Tomography, Optical Coherence
Retinaldehyde

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 3D-OCT 1000 analysis report. An optic disc cube scan protocol was used to measure the RNFL thickness in a 6 × 6 mm2 area consisting of 512 × 128 axial scans (pixels) at the optic disc region. The average, quadrant, and clock-hour peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements were reported using the same categorical classification (in white or green = within normal limits, yellow = borderline, red = outside normal limits) as in the Stratus OCT.

• 

  Figure 2 Bland-Altman plots of agreement between Stratus-OCT and 3D-OCT for the average (A) (The linear regression line equation is y = 0.185x - 14.622, r = 0.372, p < 0.001), temporal (B) (y = 0.123x - 10.587, r = 0.153, p = 0.052), superior (C) (y = 0.186x - 15.644, r = 0.279, p < 0.001), nasal (D) (y = 0.115x - 11.952, r = 0.130, p = 0.100), and inferior quadrant (E) (y = 0.275x - 21.499, r = 0.530, p < 0.001). The difference between both instruments is plotted against the average of both devices. Bold solid line is the mean of the average 3D-OCT and Stratus-OCT values. The dotted horizontal lines are ± 1.96 × SD confidence interval (CI) (i.e. 95% of the points should fall within these lines).

• 

  Figure 3 Scatter plots showing the relationship between Stratus-OCT and 3D-OCT retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) for the inferior quadrant (A) and average (B).

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