title: A longitudinal comparison of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and fundus autofluorescence in geographic atrophy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify reliable criteria based on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) to monitor disease progression in geographic atrophy attributable to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared with lesion size determination based on fundus autofluorescence (FAF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective longitudinal observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  setting: Institutional. study population: A total of 48 eyes in 24 patients with geographic atrophy. observation procedures: Eyes with geographic atrophy were included and examined at baseline and at months 3, 6, 9, and 12. At each study visit best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), FAF, and SD OCT imaging were performed. FAF images were analyzed using the region overlay device. Planimetric measurements in SD OCT, including alterations or loss of outer retinal layers and the RPE, as well as choroidal signal enhancement, were performed with the OCT Toolkit. main outcome measures: Areas of interest in patients with geographic atrophy measured from baseline to month 12 by SD OCT compared with the area of atrophy measured by FAF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Geographic atrophy lesion size increased from 8.88 mm² to 11.22 mm² based on quantitative FAF evaluation. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that results similar to FAF planimetry for determining lesion progression can be obtained by measuring the areas of outer plexiform layer thinning (adjusted R(2) = 0.93), external limiting membrane loss (adjusted R(2) = 0.89), or choroidal signal enhancement (R(2) = 0.93) by SD OCT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SD OCT allows morphologic markers of disease progression to be identified in geographic atrophy and may improve understanding of the pathophysiology of atrophic AMD.
authors.affiliation: Vienna Reading Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simader
authors.affiliation: Vienna Reading Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: ramzi.sayegh@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Ramzi G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Sayegh
authors.affiliation: Vienna Reading Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montuoro
authors.affiliation: Vienna Reading Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Malek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azhary
authors.affiliation: Vienna Reading Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Anna Lucia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Koth
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baratsits
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sacu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prünte
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria; School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kreil
authors.affiliation: Vienna Reading Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Erfurth
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D057092:Geographic Atrophy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014792:Visual Acuity