title: The correlation between rat retinal nerve fiber layer thickness around optic disc by using optical coherence tomography and histological measurements.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the correlation between the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness by using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and by histological measurements in normal adult rats and optic nerve transected rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  The RNFL thickness of 36 rats was scanned in a circle 3.46mm far from the optic disc by OCT. The two experimental groups were the normal group (n=20 rats) and the optic nerve transected group (n=16 rats). The latter group included 4 groups (n=4/group) surviving for 1 day, 3, 5 and 7 days. Then the RNFL thickness of the same retina area was also measured by NF-200 immunohistochemical staining method. Linear regression was used to analyze the correlation between the data obtained from these two methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The RNFL thickness of normal right eyes around optic disc by OCT was 72.35±5.71µm and that of the left eyes was 72.65±5.88µm (P=0.074). The RNFL thickness of the corresponding histological section by immunohistochemistry was 37.54±4.05µm (right eyes) and 37.38±4.23µm (left eyes) (P=0.059). There was a good correlation between the RNFL thickness measured by OCT and that measured by histology (R(2)=0.8131). After optic nerve transection, the trend of the RNFL thickness was thinner with the prolonged survival time. The correlation of the thickness detected by the above two methods was approximately (R(2)=0.8265). Value of the RNFL thickness in rats around optic disc measured by OCT was obviously higher than that measured by common histological measurement in normal adult rats and optic nerve transected rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The RNFL thickness measured by OCT has a strong correlation with that measured by histological method. Through OCT scanning, we found that the thickness of RNFL gradually becomes thinner in a time-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China.
authors.forename: Ju-Fang
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hui-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Ruo-Fei
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Ngobe Akume
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Cynthia
authors.forename: Yan-Qun
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Le-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xiong
keywords: immunohistochemistry staining; optic nerve transection; optical coherence tomography; rat; relevance analysis; retinal nerve fiber layer thickness