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Normative Values of Various Pentacam HR Parameters for Pediatric Corneas
Ahmed Osama Hashem1, Maged Maher Roshdy2,3, Sherine Shafik Wahba2,3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Kafr El Sheikh University, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt.
Insights
This study establishes normative Pentacam parameters for children aged 3-18, revealing significant differences compared to adults. Separate pediatric cutoffs are recommended, but not for distinct pediatric age groups.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biometry
- Pediatric Eye Care
Background:
- Accurate ocular biometry is crucial for diagnosing and monitoring eye conditions.
- The Pentacam system provides detailed anterior segment measurements.
- Normative data for pediatric populations using advanced imaging devices are often limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a normative database of Pentacam parameters in a healthy pediatric population.
- To compare pediatric Pentacam values with those of a healthy adult cohort.
- To inform the development of age-specific diagnostic criteria.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 432 healthy pediatric eyes (3-18 years) using the Pentacam HR.
- Classification of pediatric subjects into three age groups (3-6, 6-12, 12-18 years).
- Comparison of measured Pentacam parameters between pediatric subgroups and a healthy adult cohort.
Main Results:
- Significant differences were observed in anterior chamber depth/volume, curvature indices, elevation parameters, and pachymetry between pediatric age groups.
- Key Pentacam indices showed statistically significant variations across the pediatric age strata (P < 0.05).
- The pediatric cohort exhibited distinct normative values compared to the adult cohort.
Conclusions:
- Normative Pentacam values differ significantly between pediatric and adult populations.
- Separate software cutoff values for pediatric patients are recommended for improved diagnostic accuracy.
- No need for separate cutoff values within different pediatric age ranges due to lack of clinically significant differences.
Purpose:
To provide a normative database of several Pentacam parameters for a healthy pediatric population.
Methods:
This was a retrospective study conducted at Al Watany Eye Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt. We explored the Pentacam HR database and collected the data of 432 normal right eyes of children and teenagers aged 3 to 18 years. The subjects were classified into the following 3 groups: group 1 (3-6 years, 17 eyes), group 2 (6-12 years, 126 eyes), and group 3 (12-18 years, 289 eyes). The parameters of the study cohort were compared with those of a healthy adult cohort.
Results:
The mean age of the study cohort was 13.5 (13.2-13.8) years. There were significant differences in the following indices among the 3 age groups: anterior chamber (depth and volume), curvature (index of height decentration, index of vertical asymmetry, and center keratoconus index), elevation (front and back elevations from the best fit toric ellipsoid), and pachymetric (minimum and average pachymetric progression indices and average Ambrosio relational thickness) parameters (P values 0.001, 0.001, 0.002, 0.04, <0.001, <0.001, 0.03, 0.02, 0.01, and 0.03, respectively).
Conclusions:
There were significant differences in the normative values of several Pentacam indices between the pediatric and adult cohorts. Based on this finding, it is more credible to incorporate separate software cutoff values for pediatric patients. However, because there were no clinically significant differences in the parameters of the pediatric subgroups, there is no need to consider a separate cutoff value for each pediatric age range.
