Comparative assessment for the ability of Cirrus, RTVue, and 3D-OCT to diagnose glaucoma

We compared the ability of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness and macular parameters obtained by three spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) instruments to detect glaucoma.

We enrolled 87 normal eyes and 145 glaucomatous eyes (75 early glaucomatous eyes (EGs), mean deviation > -6 dB). Each participant was imaged using Cirrus, RTVue, and 3D-OCT to evaluate the average and quadrant cpRNFL thicknesses. The macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL), ganglion cell layer plus inner plexiform layer (GCL/IPL), and mRNFL + GCL/IPL (ganglion cell complex [GCC]) thicknesses were analyzed. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were compared among the instruments.

These instruments revealed similar AUCs for the average cpRNFL and GCC thicknesses in EGs, and total all-stage glaucomatous eyes (TGs). RTVue showed better performance in the nasal cpRNFL thickness than Cirrus and 3D-OCT, and better performance in the temporal cpRNFL thickness than 3D-OCT in TGs. RTVue had a higher AUC for the superior GCC thickness compared to Cirrus and 3D-OCT in EGs, and TGs. Cirrus had higher AUCs for GCL/IPL parameters in TGs, and lower AUCs for the mRNFL parameters in EGs and TGs compared to 3D-OCT.

The average cpRNFL and GCC thicknesses measured using these OCT instruments exhibited similar abilities in the diagnosis of glaucoma, and RTVue exhibited better diagnostic abilities than Cirrus and 3D-OCT for nasal cpRNFL, and superior GCC thicknesses. The diagnostic performance of Cirrus and 3D-OCT was different for GCL/IPL and mRNFL parameters. (http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr number, UMIN000006900.)