Repeatability and Reproducibility of Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness Using a Medical Image-Processing Software.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Image Processing

Background:

• The choroid's role in ocular diseases is significant but not fully understood for all conditions.
• Accurate measurement of Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness (PPCT) is crucial for understanding choroidal function.
• Existing methods for PPCT assessment may lack precision or require further validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel methodology for accurate Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness (PPCT) measurement.
• To assess the reproducibility and repeatability of PPCT evaluation using ImageJ software.
• To establish the feasibility of this image-processing technique in clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Spectral-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) for imaging acquisition.
• Employed ImageJ software for Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness (PPCT) area determination.
• Conducted a study with 24 healthy volunteers (48 eyes) assessed by two blinded observers across two sessions.

Main Results:

• The proposed ImageJ-based methodology demonstrated high inter-observer and intra-observer agreement.
• Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) values were consistently high (0.994-0.998).
• Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) values further supported excellent agreement (0.996-0.999).

Conclusions:

• The novel ImageJ-based methodology for PPCT quantification is feasible and highly reproducible.
• The technique shows excellent inter- and intra-observer agreement, validating its reliability.
• This approach holds potential for use in diverse clinical settings to advance the understanding of choroidal pathology.