Comparison of central macular thickness measured by three OCT models and study of interoperator variability

ScientificWorldJournal. 2012:2012:842795. doi: 10.1100/2012/842795. Epub 2012 Aug 22.

Abstract

Purpose: To compare central macular thickness (CMT) measurement on healthy patient using 3 different OCT devices by two operators.

Methods: Prospective, monocentricstudy. Right eye's central macular thickness (CMT) of 30 healthy patients has been measured three times using a time-domain (TD) OCT (Stratus OCT, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, Ca) and two spectral domain (SD) OCTs (Cirrus HD-OCT, Carl ZeissMeditec, Dublin, Ca) and 3D-OCT 1000 (Topcon, Tokyo, Japan) by two operators. Six measurements were taken randomly for each patient the same day.

Results: No significant difference between measurements obtained by the two operators has been observed, whatever the studied OCT. P value was 0.164, 0.193, and 0.147 for Stratus OCT, Cirrus HD-OCT and 3D-OCT, respectively. Mean CMT significantly differed from instrument to instrument (P < 0.001) and was, respectively, 197 μm, 254 μm, and 236 μm using Stratus OCT, Cirrus HD-OCT, and 3D-OCT 1000. Using Cirrus OCT and 3D-OCT 1000, CMT was, respectively, 57 μm and 39 μm thicker than using Stratus OCT (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Whatever the OCT device, on healthy patients CMT was not operator dependent. CMT measurements obtained by SD-OCTs are greater than those obtained by TD-OCT. These data imply that the different OCT devices cannot be used interchangeably in clinical monitoring.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Macula Lutea / cytology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Observer Variation
  • Prospective Studies
  • Reference Values
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence / instrumentation*
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence / methods
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence / standards*