Comparison of Cirrus spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) -measured macula ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness-deviation maps for detection of localized retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) defects in glaucoma

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the abilities of Cirrus spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT)-measured macula ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness- and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness-deviation maps for detection of localized RNFL defects in glaucoma.

Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study included 58 eyes of 58 glaucoma subjects with localized RNFL defects, as well as 80 normal control subjects. Based on their internal normative databases, the sensitivity and specificity of GCIPL and cpRNFL thickness-deviation maps for detection of localized RNFL defects were calculated.

Results: According to abnormality criteria 1 — a cluster of at least three superpixels at the 5% abnormality level (yellow) including at least one superpixel at the 1% level (red) — the sensitivity of the deviation map was 84.62% (95% confidence interval, 74.27 - 91.46) for GCIPL and 89.74% (80.27 - 95.15) for cpRNFL ; the specificity was 68.75% (57.29 - 78.39) for GCIPL and 61.25 (49.67 - 71.74) for cpRNFL. These results showed no significant difference in the GCIPL and cpRNFL sensitivities or specificities. According to abnormality criteria 2 — a cluster of at least five superpixels at the 5% level including at least three superpixels at the 1% level — and abnormality criteria 3 — a cluster of at least ten superpixels at the 5% level including at least five superpixels at the 1% level — there were no significant differences shown between GCIPL and cpRNFL in the abilities for detecting localized RNFL defects.

Conclusions: Based on their normative databases, comparisons with the GCPIL and cpRNFL parameters showed no significant difference in sensitivity or specificity, indicating that they offer similar diagnostic abilities for detection of localized RNFL defects.

Keywords: 550 imaging/image analysis: clinical • 531 ganglion cells