Comparison of retinal nerve fiber layer measurements using time domain and spectral domain optical coherent tomography.

PURPOSE

To determine the agreement between peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements from Stratus time domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Cirrus spectral domain OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) in normal subjects and subjects with glaucoma.

DESIGN

Evaluation of diagnostic test or technology.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 130 eyes from 130 normal subjects and subjects with glaucoma were analyzed. The subjects were divided into groups by visual field criteria: normal (n = 29), glaucoma suspect (n = 12), mild glaucoma (n = 41), moderate glaucoma (n = 18), and severe glaucoma (n = 30).

METHODS

Peripapillary RNFL thickness was measured with Stratus Fast RNFL and Cirrus 200 x 200 Optic Disc Scan on the same day in 1 eye of each subject to determine agreement. Two operators used the same instruments for all scans.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Student paired t testing, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman analysis of RNFL thickness measurements.

RESULTS

The average age of the glaucoma group was significantly more than that of the normal group: 68.3+/-12.3 years versus 55.7+/-12.1 years, respectively. For Stratus OCT, the average RNFL thickness (mean +/- standard deviation) was 99.4+/-13.2 microm, 94.5+/-15.0 microm, 79.0+/-14.5 microm, 62.7+/-10.2 microm, and 51.0+/-8.9 microm for the normal, suspect, mild, moderate, and severe groups, respectively. For Cirrus OCT, the corresponding measurements were 92.0+/-10.8 microm, 88.1+/-13.5 microm, 73.3+/-11.8 microm, 60.9+/-8.3 microm, and 55.3+/-6.6 microm. All Stratus-Cirrus differences were statistically significant by paired t testing (P<0.001) except for the moderate group (P = 0.11). For average RNFL, there was also a highly significant linear relationship between Stratus minus Cirrus difference and RNFL thickness (P<0.001). Bland-Altman plots showed that the systematic difference of Stratus measurements are smaller than Cirrus at thinner RNFL values but larger at thicker RNFL values.

CONCLUSIONS

RNFL thickness measurements between Stratus OCT and Cirrus OCT cannot be directly compared. Clinicians should be aware that measurements are generally higher with Stratus than with Cirrus except when the RNFL is very thin, as in severe glaucoma. This difference must be taken into account if comparing Stratus measurements with Cirrus measurements.