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Artifact Rates for 2D Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Versus 3D Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Volume.
Stephanie Choi1, Firas Jassim2, Edem Tsikata2
1Harvard Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology, Boston, MA, USA.
Translational Vision Science & Technology
|July 28, 2020
Summary
Three-dimensional (3D) retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) scans show fewer artifacts than two-dimensional (2D) scans. This reduces the need for manual correction in glaucoma patients, improving measurement accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Medical Imaging
- Glaucoma Research
Background:
- Artifacts in optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans can affect the accuracy of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measurements.
- Distinguishing between true RNFL thinning and artifacts is crucial for diagnosing and monitoring glaucoma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the rates of artifacts in two-dimensional (2D) versus three-dimensional (3D) RNFL scans obtained using Spectralis OCT.
- To assess the impact of artifacts on RNFL thickness measurements in glaucomatous and normal eyes.
Main Methods:
- Identified 13 artifact types in 2D and 3D RNFL scans from 106 glaucomatous and 95 normal eyes.
- Calculated artifact rates per B-scan and per eye.
- For 3D scans, artifacts were counted in the B-scans used for RNFL parameter calculation, and measurements were compared before and after artifact removal with interpolation.
Main Results:
- 2D RNFL scans showed artifacts in 58.5% of B-scans in glaucomatous eyes.
- 3D RNFL scans had a mean of 35.4% of B-scans with artifacts in glaucomatous eyes.
- Clinically significant artifacts were less frequent in 3D scans (7.5% of glaucomatous eyes) compared to 2D scans (58.5% of glaucomatous eyes).
Conclusions:
- Three-dimensional (3D) retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) volume scans exhibit significantly lower rates of clinically significant artifacts compared to two-dimensional (2D) RNFL thickness scans.
- 3D RNFL scans require less manual correction, leading to more reliable measurements in the assessment of glaucoma.
