Comparison of the effectiveness of scanning laser polarimetry and optical coherence tomography for estimating optic nerve fibre layer thickness in patients with glaucoma.
OBJECTIVE
The effectiveness of scanning laser polarimetry (by the nerve fibre analyser, NFA) and of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in estimating nerve fibre layer thickness (NFLT) and the correlations between NFLT and cup-to-disc (C/D) ratio or values of mean deviation (MD) from static visual field tests were compared using patients with glaucoma.


METHODS
Twenty-four eyes from 24 glaucoma patients were enrolled. The NFLT was measured along a circle with a diameter 1.5 times that of the optic disc around the optic disc. The averaged estimated NFLT of the circle or of each quadrantal NFLT (nasal, temporal, superior, inferior) was compared.


RESULTS
The co-variant indexes measured by the NFA were significantly smaller than those measured by OCT in both the averaged NFLT (p = 0.0002) and in each quadrantal NFLT (p < 0.05). The C/D ratio was significantly correlated with the averaged NFLT when measured by OCT (r = 0.425, p = 0.038), but not by the NFA (r = 0.179, p = 0.407). However, when measured by OCT, these values showed a significant correlation (r = 0.425, p = 0.039). Although both the OCT and NFA data showed significant correlations between NFLT and the MD (p = 0.0002 and p = 0.038, respectively), the OCT data showed a stronger correlation than did the NFA data (r = 0.677 and r = 0.422, respectively). The correlation between the averaged NFLTs obtained by NFA and OCT was not significant (r = 0.289, p = 0.172).


CONCLUSIONS
OCT is thought to have an equal or better effectiveness for estimating NFLT, in spite of a lower reproducibility than that of the NFA.
Furuichi
Mieko
M
Department of Ophthalmology, Yamanashi Medical University, Japan.
Kashiwagi
Kenji
K
Furuichi
Yoshiharu
Y
Tsukahara
Shigeo
S
D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007368:Interferometry; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D014054:Tomography / Q000379:methods; D058609:Visual Field Tests / Q000379:methods