title: Imaging of the Sclera in Patients with Scleritis and Episcleritis using Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the sclera and episclera in patients with scleritis and episcleritis using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional prospective case series of 11 consecutive patients with episcleral or scleral inflammatory disease located anterior to the equator. The thickness of the ocular wall (sclera and the episclera) was measured using AS-OCT and compared to the contralateral healthy eye.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven patients with a mean age of 49.5 years presented with symptomatic scleritis or episcleritis. The mean thickness of the ocular wall in the affected eye was 982 ± 56 μm compared to 790 ± 23 μm (p < 0.05) in the fellow eye. Enhanced-depth AS-OCT showed that the thickening occurred mainly in the episcleral layer in both scleritis and episcleritis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Enhanced-depth AS-OCT may be a useful tool for imaging scleritis or episcleritis and may serve to monitor therapeutic success in these patients.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Ophthalmology , Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Shadi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Axmann
authors.affiliation: a Department of Ophthalmology , Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ebneter
authors.affiliation: a Department of Ophthalmology , Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Zinkernagel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000869:Anterior Eye Segment / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010781:Photography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012590:Sclera / Q000473:pathology*; D015423:Scleritis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D010656:Phenylephrine
keywords: Anterior segment OCT; episcleritis; scleritis