Repeatability of macular and optic nerve head measurements by optical coherence tomography angiography in healthy children

Author: PILAR PEREZ-GARCIA (Spain)

Co-authors: Laura Morales-Fernández, José Ignacio Fernández-Vigo, Federico Sáenz-Francés

Purpose

To evaluate the repeatability of the peripapillary and macular vascular parameters using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in healthy children.

Setting/Venue

Ophthalmology Unit, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Hospital Clinico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain

Methods

Cross-sectional study including 34 eyes of 34 healthy children. After a complete medical examination, two consecutive OCT-A exams were done using AngioPlex Cirrus 5000 (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA, USA) in the same session. The scan area used was 6x6 mm for the analysis of the superficial vascular plexus (SVP) in the macula, and 4.5x4.5 mm for the peripapillary plexus. To study the repeatability of the measurements, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the coefficient of variation (CV) of each pair of exams were calculated.

Results

The mean age of the children included was 10.77±2.49 years (range 6 to 15 years). Good and excellent ICCs were obtained for all the parameters considered. Peripapillary vascular parameters showed greater reproducibility than macular ones (global peripapillary perfusion density (pPD): ICC=0.834 CV=0.89% vs. whole macular area PD (w-mPD): ICC=0.697 CV=3.49%; global peripapillary flux index (FI): ICC=0.858 CV=1.28%; whole macular area vascular density (VD): ICC=0.699 CV=3.30%). Amongst the macular parameters, the characteristics of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) were the ones showing higher rates of repeatability (FAZ circularity: ICC=0.858 CV=8.83%).

Conlusions

OCT-A is a non-invasive, time-efficient technology that may be useful in the evaluation of the retinal and peripapillary vascular network in healthy children. The repeatability of the measures will allow the follow-up and evaluation of any change occurring in the macular or optic nerve perfusion.

Financial Disclosure

NOTHING TO DECLARE