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Variability in Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography over 4 Weeks by Age
Kerri P Howard1, Charles S Chandler1, Yijun Huang1
1a Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences , University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health , Madison , WI , USA.
Ophthalmic Epidemiology
|April 30, 2016
Summary
Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) measures of retinal thickness show high short-term reliability. Older age increases variability in total retinal and RPE thickness, impacting future study designs.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Medical Imaging
- Gerontology
Background:
- Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is crucial for measuring retinal and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) thickness.
- Understanding the variability of these measures is essential for clinical research, especially concerning age-related changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the variation in SD-OCT measures of total retinal thickness and RPE thickness over a 4-week period.
- To assess how age influences these variations in retinal thickness measurements.
Main Methods:
- 76 volunteers aged 40-85 years underwent three SD-OCT visits over 4 weeks.
- Total retinal and RPE thickness were measured in nine subfields using Topcon SD-OCT.
- Multilevel modeling analyzed variance between scans and by age.
Main Results:
- High intraclass correlation (0.988 for retinal thickness, 0.714 for RPE thickness) was observed in the central circle.
- Measures taken within 4 weeks showed strong correlation (>0.95).
- Within-subject variation in total retinal thickness and RPE thickness increased significantly with age.
Conclusions:
- Retinal thickness measures exhibit high short-term reliability over 4 weeks.
- Increasing age is associated with greater variability in total retinal and RPE thickness.
- Higher quality imaging or increased image counts may be beneficial for studies involving older adults, potentially impacting sample size calculations.
