Impact of Different Optical Coherence Tomography Devices in Multiple Sclerosis Trials
Author Information
Author(s): Warner Christina V., Syc Stephanie B., Stankiewicz Aleksandra M., Hiremath Girish, Farrell Sheena K., Crainiceanu Ciprian M., Conger Amy, Frohman Teresa C., Bisker Esther R., Balcer Laura J., Frohman Elliot M., Calabresi Peter A., Saidha Shiv
Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Hypothesis
How do different optical coherence tomography (OCT) devices compare in measuring retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and total macular volume in multiple sclerosis patients?
Conclusion
The study found that while different OCT devices correlate well on average, they show poor agreement at the individual subject level, suggesting they should not be used interchangeably in clinical practice.
Supporting Evidence
- The mean RNFL thickness was 7.4 µm lower on Cirrus HD-OCT than Stratus.
- The limits of agreement between Cirrus HD-OCT and Stratus were wide, indicating poor agreement at an individual subject level.
- Cirrus HD-OCT and Spectralis showed excellent agreement for RNFL thickness with a mean difference of 1.94 µm.
Takeaway
This study looked at how well different machines measure eye thickness in people with multiple sclerosis. It found that while they generally agree, they can give different results for individual patients.
Methodology
The study used Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman analyses to assess the correlation and agreement between RNFL thickness and total macular volume derived from three OCT devices.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the convenience sampling of participants and exclusion criteria.
Limitations
The study did not include age-matched healthy controls and was limited to specific OCT devices.
Participant Demographics
229 participants with multiple sclerosis (138 RRMS, 22 Progressive MS, 69 healthy controls), mean age 40.8 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 6.7–8.2 µm for RNFL thickness difference between Cirrus HD-OCT and Stratus.
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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