Macular Fluid Reduces Reproducibility of Choroidal Thickness Measurements on Enhanced Depth Optical Coherence Tomography

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

12-1-2017

Journal

American Journal of Ophthalmology

Volume

184

DOI

10.1016/j.ajo.2017.10.005

Abstract

© 2017 Elsevier Inc. Purpose To determine if different types of retinal fluid in the central macula affect the reproducibility of choroidal thickness (CT) measurements on enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). Design Retrospective reliability analysis. Methods EDI-OCT images were obtained and the choroidal-scleral junction was analyzed through semiautomated segmentation. CT was measured at the fovea and averaged across the central 3-mm horizontal segment. Demographic data, central macular thickness, and type of fluid present were recorded. Intragrader and intergrader repeatability were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of repeatability (CR). Results Of 124 eyes analyzed, 60 (48.4%) had diabetic macular edema, 32 (25.8%) had neovascular age-related macular degeneration, and 32 (25.8%) had other causes of fluid. Intergrader ICC (CR) was 0.95 (74.1 μm) and 0.96 (63.9 μm) for subfoveal and average CT, respectively. CR was similar across various causes of retinal fluid, but was worst for subretinal fluid compared to intraretinal or sub–retinal pigment epithelial fluid. CR also worsened with increasing choroidal thickness, but was not affected by retinal thickness. Intragrader repeatability was generally greater than intergrader values, and followed the same trend. Conclusions The presence of macular fluid reduces CT measurement reproducibility, particularly in eyes with subretinal fluid and greater choroidal thickness. A difference of 74.1 μm in subfoveal CT or 63.9 μm in average CT may be necessary to detect true clinical change in eyes with macular fluid.

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