title: Relationship between macular ganglion cell complex thickness and macular outer retinal thickness: a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess the relationship between macular ganglion cell complex and macular outer retinal thicknesses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two normal eyes and 91 eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma were studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (RTVue-100) was used to measure the macular ganglion cell complex and macular outer retinal thickness. Ganglion cell complex to outer retinal thickness ratio was also calculated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The relationships between the ganglion cell complex and outer retinal thicknesses and between the ganglion cell complex to outer retinal thickness ratio and outer retinal thickness were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a positive correlation between ganglion cell complex and outer retinal thicknesses in the normal group and the glaucoma group (r = 0.53, P < 0.001 and r = 0.42, P < 0.001, respectively). In that respect, there was no correlation between ganglion cell complex to outer retinal thickness ratio and outer retinal thickness in the both groups (r = -0.07, P = 0.657, and r = 0.04, P = 0.677, respectively). The ganglion cell complex to outer retinal thickness ratio was 55.65% in the normal group, 45.07% in the glaucoma group. This difference was statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ganglion cell complex thickness may be affected by outer retinal thickness, and there is individual variation in the outer retinal thickness. Therefore, when determining the ganglion cell complex, it seems necessary to consider the outer retinal thickness as well. We propose the ratio as a suitable parameter to account for individual variations in outer retinal thickness.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Toho University Ohashi Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Yoshiyuki
authors: Y
authors: Kita
authors: Ritsuko
authors: R
authors: Kita
authors: Asuka
authors: A
authors: Takeyama
authors: Ayako
authors: A
authors: Anraku
authors: Goji
authors: G
authors: Tomita
authors: Ivan
authors: I
authors: Goldberg
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D055214:Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Outer Segment / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular
keywords: ganglion cell complex; glaucoma; outer retinal thickness; ratio; spectral-domain optical coherence tomography