Minimum Rim Width and Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness for Diagnosing Early to Moderate Glaucoma

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Glaucoma Diagnosis

Background:

• Glaucoma diagnosis relies on detecting optic nerve damage.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides quantitative measurements of optic nerve structures.
• Minimum rim width (MRW) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) are key OCT-derived parameters for glaucoma assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic performance of MRW and RNFLT measurements in identifying early to moderate glaucoma.
• To evaluate these OCT parameters in a Brazilian multiracial population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study included 155 healthy controls and 118 glaucoma patients.
• MRW and RNFLT were measured using OCT.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) regression analysis was employed to assess diagnostic accuracy, adjusting for age and Bruch membrane opening area.

Main Results:

• Both MRW and RNFLT demonstrated comparable diagnostic accuracy, with similar areas under the ROC curves (0.93 for both).
• At 95% specificity, sensitivities were also similar (75% for RNFLT vs. 74% for MRW).
• The temporal inferior sector was the most effective region for diagnosis for both parameters.

Conclusions:

• MRW and RNFLT measurements exhibit similar diagnostic capabilities for early to moderate glaucoma.
• These OCT-based metrics are valuable tools for glaucoma detection in diverse populations.