APOSTEL-R Recommendations for Reporting Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography Studies in Rodents.

Area of Science:

• Preclinical research
• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical imaging

Background:

• Retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) is vital for rodent models in disease research.
• Current lack of standardized reporting hinders data consistency and comparability.
• Standardization is needed to improve the quality of preclinical OCT studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish consensus recommendations for reporting retinal OCT studies in rodent models.
• To address the absence of standardized reporting protocols in the field.
• To enhance the reliability and reproducibility of rodent OCT research.

Main Methods:

• Developed initial recommendations based on human OCT reporting criteria (APOSTEL).
• Utilized a modified Delphi process involving 31 rodent OCT researchers and the scientific community.
• Refined and voted on recommendations through expert consensus and community feedback.

Main Results:

• A 7-point checklist for reporting rodent OCT studies was finalized.
• Recommendations cover study protocol, OCT device, acquisition, scanning, imaging, data analysis, and results.
• High agreement (median score 3-4/4) was achieved from the scientific community and expert panel.

Conclusions:

• The Advised Protocol for OCT Study Terminology and Elements for reporting OCT studies in rodents (APOSTEL-R) provides essential guidance.
• APOSTEL-R aims to standardize and improve the quality of preclinical OCT studies.
• These consensus recommendations will aid researchers throughout the experimental process.