Ceylan Ali, Onal Irem, Mergen Burak, Yildirim Yusuf
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Health Sciences, Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Beyoglu Eye J. 2022 Feb 18;7(1):54-58. doi: 10.14744/bej.2022.82787. eCollection 2022.
Investigation of the compatibility between central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements in healthy eyes by comparing standard ultrasound pachymetry (USP) with noncontact tono-pachymetry (NCT) and specular microscopy (SM) devices was aimed.
Forty-five eyes of 45 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 60 years were included in this study. CCT of all cases was evaluated with USP, NCT, and SM devices. The same examiner performed all examinations. Bland-Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the agreement between instruments.
The mean age of the patients was 31±10.2 years. Fifteen (33.3%) cases were male and 30 (66.7%) were female. The mean CCT measured using NCT (559.3±39 µm) was significantly higher than those measured using SM (534.8±41 µm) and USP (542.6±43 µm, p<0.001). Bland-Altman analysis showed that the difference between the first, second, and third measurements was evenly dispersed around the mean, with no clear trend toward over- or underestimation by either NCT, USP, or SM. The 95% limits of agreements were 0.30-48.72 µm for NCT, -12.63-46.04 µm for the USP, and -24.41-8.80 µm for the SM. Correlation analysis between the three devices showed a very strong positive correlation (p<0.001).
Significant differences were observed between CCT measurements in healthy individuals used in ophthalmology practice and performed with different devices. This situation should draw attention to the fact that in diseases such as glaucoma and endothelial insufficiency, corneal thickness monitoring should be done with the same device and the devices should not be used interchangeably.
旨在通过比较标准超声角膜测厚法（USP）与非接触眼压角膜厚度测量法（NCT）以及镜面显微镜检查（SM）设备，研究健康眼睛中央角膜厚度（CCT）测量值之间的兼容性。
本研究纳入了45名年龄在18至60岁之间的健康志愿者的45只眼睛。所有病例的CCT均使用USP、NCT和SM设备进行评估。所有检查均由同一名检查者进行。采用 Bland-Altman 图和组内相关系数来评估仪器之间的一致性。
患者的平均年龄为31±10.2岁。15例（33.3%）为男性，30例（66.7%）为女性。使用NCT测量的平均CCT（559.3±39 µm）显著高于使用SM（534.8±41 µm）和USP（542.6±43 µm，p<0.001）测量的结果。Bland-Altman分析表明，第一次、第二次和第三次测量之间的差异在平均值周围均匀分布，NCT、USP或SM均无明显的高估或低估趋势。NCT的95%一致性界限为0.30 - 48.72 µm，USP为 -12.63 - 46.04 µm，SM为 -24.41 - 8.80 µm。三种设备之间的相关性分析显示出非常强的正相关性（p<0.001）。
在眼科实践中，使用不同设备对健康个体进行CCT测量时观察到显著差异。这种情况应引起注意，即在青光眼和内皮功能不全等疾病中，角膜厚度监测应使用同一设备，且这些设备不应互换使用。
