title: In Vivo Evaluation of the Biomechanical Properties of Optic Nerve and Peripapillary Structures by Ultrasonic Shear Wave Elastography in Glaucoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary open-angle glaucoma is a multifactorial serious disease characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell death and loss of visual field.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this study were to investigate shear wave elastography (SWE) use in the evaluation of the optic nerve (ON) and peripapillary structures, and to compare the findings between glaucomatous and control eyes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-controlled study, including 21 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and 21 age-matched control subjects, was carried out. All of the participants had comprehensive ophthalmological exams that included corneal biomechanical measurements with ocular response analyzer. In vivo evaluation of the biomechanical properties of the ON and peripapillary structures were performed with SWE in all participants. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to analyze the normal distribution of data. Differences of parameters in ophthalmologic data and stiffness values of patients with and without glaucoma were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant differences between the glaucoma and control groups in terms of age (P > 0.05) and gender (P > 0.05). Corneal hysteresis was lower in the glaucoma group (P < 0.05). Corneal compensated intraocular pressure and Goldmann correlated intraocular pressure were higher in the glaucoma group (P < 0.0001 for both). The mean stiffness of the ON and peripapillary structures were significantly higher in glaucoma patients for each measured region (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study evaluated the biomechanical properties of the ON and peripapillary structures in vivo with SWE in glaucoma. We observed stiffer ON and peripapillary tissue in glaucomatous eyes, indicating that SWE claims new perspectives in the evaluation of ON and peripapillary structures in glaucoma disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Atilla Suleyman
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Dikici
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mihmanli
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fahrettin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kilic
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozkok
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kuyumcu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pinar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sultan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cesur
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Samanci
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Halit Yilmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Babak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rafiee
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nevbahar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tamcelik
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zehra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Isik Hasiloglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kantarci
keywords: Glaucoma; Optic Nerve; Peripapillary Structures; Shear Wave Elastography