Relationship between angiographic and optical coherence tomographic (OCT) parameters for quantifying choroidal neovascular lesions

Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2010 Feb;248(2):175-84. doi: 10.1007/s00417-009-1193-4. Epub 2009 Sep 17.

Abstract

Background: To correlate the volume of various spaces on optical coherence tomography (OCT) with fluorescein angiographic (FA) parameters in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: Sixty-five consecutive cases of active subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with AMD were retrospectively collected. Area and greatest linear dimension of CNV lesion components were calculated on FA. Corresponding StratusOCT image sets were analyzed using custom software (termed OCTOR), which allows manual measurement of the volume of the neurosensory retina, subretinal fluid, subretinal tissue, and pigment epithelial detachment (PED).

Results: Area of occult CNV on FA correlated with PED (R = 0.62) and subretinal fluid (R = 0.28) volume and negatively with subretinal tissue volume (R = -0.26) on OCT. Area of classic CNV on FA correlated with subretinal tissue (R = 0.60) and retinal (R = 0.38) volume on OCT. Automated StratusOCT output values showed poorer correlations than manually calculated OCTOR values.

Conclusions: OCT features of CNV lesions as measured by manual quantitative subanalysis correlate better with angiographic parameters than values provided by the automated StratusOCT analysis. These measures may improve our understanding of the morphologic effects of CNV lesions and may facilitate the development of a hybrid FA and OCT-based classification system for future clinical trials, which more fully characterizes CNV lesions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Choroidal Neovascularization / pathology*
  • Fluorescein Angiography / methods*
  • Fluorescein Angiography / standards
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Macular Degeneration / pathology*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Retina / pathology
  • Retinal Detachment / pathology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Software
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence / methods*
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence / standards