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The effect of software upgrade on optical coherence tomography measurement of the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness
Leonard K Seibold1, Malik Y Kahook
1Department of Ophthalmology, Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute, University of Colorado at Denver, Aurora, CO, USA.
Purpose:
To determine the effect of software upgrades on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements taken by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).
Methods:
Eighty normal eyes (40 patients) were scanned for RNFL thickness measurements using Spectralis (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) SD-OCT. Scan analysis was performed using version 4.0 software and then reanalyzed with version 5.1.3. Student paired t testing and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis.
Results:
Average and quadrant RNFL thicknesses generated using version 4.0 and 5.1.3 software on Spectralis demonstrated high correlation (r = 0.955-0.998). Average RNFL thickness using version 4.0 was 0.08 μm thinner than version 5.1.3 (p = 0.409). Quadrant RNFL differences ranged from -0.26 to +0.97 μm (p = 0.146-0.915). Segmentation errors were reduced 33% after the upgrade.
Conclusion:
Minor RNFL thickness changes may occur after software upgrades in Spectralis OCT. The differences did not reach statistical significance but segmentation errors were improved.
