Purpose:
High definition (HD) CirrusTM OCT (OCT) (Carl Zeiss Meditec, USA) employs advanced spectral imaging domain technology which acquires whole cubes of OCT retinal data composed of hundreds of line scans in about that same time as the standard resolution (SR) StratusTM OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, USA) acquires a six-line scan. The purpose of this study is to determine which system has a shorter acquisition time and an easier learning curve for ophthalmology residents who are first-time OCT users.
Methods:
Prospective comparison of time to acquire central macular thickness scans of each eye of 5 healthy volunteers (ages 22-32) between SR and HD-OCT. 3 OCT-naïve residents each performed scans on volunteers using both devices sequentially (SR-OCT first.) An OCT-experienced resident instructed the participants how to acquire data for each device. Total time, including seating the patient, entering demographic data and scan acquisition, was recorded using a digital chronometer. Statistical analysis was performed using a one-tailed Student’s t-test and linear regression slope.
Results:
Mean acquisition time for all participants with SR-OCT was 133.8 and with HD-OCT was 134.2 (p=0.48). Comparison of resident 1, 2 and 3 demonstrated no significant difference between acquisition time (p= 0.07, 0.44 and 0.24 respectively.) Analysis of overall mean linear regression for demonstrated a slope of -19.6 for SR-OCT and -25.5 for HD-OCT. The graphs below summarize the other results.
Conclusions:
Overall, both OCT systems demonstrated comparable mean acquisition time with no significant difference between participants. SR-OCT had a decreased linear regression slope compared to HD-OCT, indicating that it may be easier for residents to learn. This study indicates that OCT-naïve residents can quickly and accurately learn to use both OCT systems. In a busy clinical setting, having OCT-experienced residents can help improve patient management and streamline clinic flow.
Keywords: retina • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • imaging/image analysis: clinical