title: In vivo lamina cribrosa micro-architecture in healthy and glaucomatous eyes as assessed by optical coherence tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The lamina cribrosa (LC) is a prime location of glaucomatous damage. The purpose of this study was to compare LC 3-dimensional micro-architecture between healthy and glaucomatous eyes in vivo by using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-eight eyes (19 healthy and 49 glaucomatous) from 47 subjects were scanned in a 3.5 × 3.5 × 3.64-mm volume (400 × 400 × 896 pixels) at the optic nerve head by using swept-source OCT. The LC micro-architecture parameters were measured on the visible LC by an automated segmentation algorithm. The LC parameters were compared to diagnosis and visual field mean deviation (VF MD) by using a linear mixed effects model accounting for age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average VF MD for the healthy and glaucomatous eyes was -0.50 ± 0.80 dB and -7.84 ± 8.75 dB, respectively. Beam thickness to pore diameter ratio (P = 0.04) and pore diameter standard deviation (P < 0.01) were increased in glaucomatous eyes. With worse MD, beam thickness to pore diameter ratio (P < 0.01), pore diameter standard deviation (P = 0.05), and beam thickness (P < 0.01) showed a statistically significant increase while pore diameter (P = 0.02) showed a significant decrease. There were no significant interactions between any of the parameters and age (all P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Glaucomatous micro-architecture changes in the LC, detected by OCT analysis, reflect beams remodeling and axonal loss leading to reduction in pore size and increased pore size variability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, UPMC Eye Center, Eye and Ear Institute, Ophthalmology and Visual Science Research Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jessica E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Nevins
authors.forename: Zach
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nadler
authors.forename: Gadi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wollstein
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bilonick
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kagemann
authors.forename: Ian A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Sigal
authors.forename: Ireneusz
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grulkowski
authors.forename: Jonathan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kraus
authors.forename: Chen D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hornegger
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Joel S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Schuman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology*; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields
keywords: glaucoma; lamina cribrosa; optical coherence tomography