Abstract
Purpose :
A biomarker can be used in disease screening, diagnosis, and characterization; for developing tailored therapeutic interventions and prognoses. This study aims to investigate the correlation between outer retina optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers and visual acuity in patients diagnosed with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (iERM).
Methods :
We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study at a single ophthalmology referral center (Hospital Conde de Valenciana, Mexico City, Mexico). Our study group consisted of patients examined between January 2018 and January 2021 and diagnosed with iERM. Comprehensive ophthalmologic evaluation was performed in all patients. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured in Snellen chart and converted to the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) for statistical analysis. In addition, all eyes were scanned with the Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering). Biomarkers found in the outer retina, such as disruption of ellipsoid zone (EZ), photoreceptor outer segment (PROS), outer foveal thickness (OFT), and "cotton-ball" (CB) sign, were identified. Parameters were measured using Fiji software (ImageJ). Association of significant variables and BCVA was done through univariate linear regression analyses. P values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results :
We retrospectively analyzed 351 patient records with iERM, of which 259 patients did not comply with the inclusion criteria. Finally, 59 eyes of 59 patients (39 women and 20 men) were included with a mean age of 68.66 ± 7.35 years. Average BCVA by LogMAR was 0.29 ± 0.26. Disruption of EZ and CB sign was found in 7 (11.86%) and 2 (3.38%) patients, respectively. The average value of PROS and OFT was 24.72 ± 6.61 and 207.6 ± 31.22 µm, respectively. In univariate linear regression models, EZ disruption (p=0.0011) and OFT (p=0.0202) were associated with worse BCVA. CB sign (p=0.751) and PROS (p = 0.131) did not correlate with BCVA.
Conclusions :
The study demonstrated an association between the disruption of EZ and OFT on OCT with BCVA in patients with iERM, similarly shown in other studies. Based on these results reinforces their usefulness as biomarkers and should be regarded as negative indicators for visual function.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.