PURPOSE: To analyze the intra-user reliability and inter-user reproducibility of assessment of corneal epithelial thickness by Fourier domain optical coherence tomography. METHODS: In this consecutive cross-sectional case series performed at a tertiary ocular care institution, 210 eyes of 210 subjects underwent anterior segment Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FDOCT). A caliper tool software was used to measure the corneal thickness. For the reproducibility measures, the examination was done by 2 examiners (user 1, user 2) within 30 minutes of each other. For the reliability measure, the retest was done by user 1 on the next day, within 30 minutes of the previous test's time. The total corneal thickness, epithelial thickness, and corneal thickness excluding the epithelium were measured. RESULTS: The mean corneal thickness of the population measured by user 1 was 519.5 ± 31.1 μm, 58.6 ± 4.2 μm, and 460.95 ± 31.4 μm for total cornea, epithelium, and non-epithelial cornea, respectively. The difference in results between user 2 and user 1 was 0.8 ± 7.2 μm, 0.23 ± 3.3 μm, and 0.7 ± 8.2 μm for total, epithelium, and non-epithelial cornea, respectively, and the difference in results between the repeated series by user 1 was 0.49 ± 5.7 μm, -0.13 ± 2.7 μm, 0.61 ± 5.4 μm total, epithelium, and non-epithelial cornea, respectively (paired t-test, P > 0.05). Intraclass correlations ranged from 0.87 to 0.99, coefficients of repeatability from 4.5 to 14.11, and coefficient of variation from 2.3% to 11.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Fourier domain anterior segment optical coherence tomography is reproducible and reliable for the measurement of epithelial thickness at vertex.
PURPOSE: To analyze the intra-user reliability and inter-user reproducibility of assessment of corneal epithelial thickness by Fourier domain optical coherence tomography. METHODS: In this consecutive cross-sectional case series performed at a tertiary ocular care institution, 210 eyes of 210 subjects underwent anterior segment Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FDOCT). A caliper tool software was used to measure the corneal thickness. For the reproducibility measures, the examination was done by 2 examiners (user 1, user 2) within 30 minutes of each other. For the reliability measure, the retest was done by user 1 on the next day, within 30 minutes of the previous test's time. The total corneal thickness, epithelial thickness, and corneal thickness excluding the epithelium were measured. RESULTS: The mean corneal thickness of the population measured by user 1 was 519.5 ± 31.1 μm, 58.6 ± 4.2 μm, and 460.95 ± 31.4 μm for total cornea, epithelium, and non-epithelial cornea, respectively. The difference in results between user 2 and user 1 was 0.8 ± 7.2 μm, 0.23 ± 3.3 μm, and 0.7 ± 8.2 μm for total, epithelium, and non-epithelial cornea, respectively, and the difference in results between the repeated series by user 1 was 0.49 ± 5.7 μm, -0.13 ± 2.7 μm, 0.61 ± 5.4 μm total, epithelium, and non-epithelial cornea, respectively (paired t-test, P > 0.05). Intraclass correlations ranged from 0.87 to 0.99, coefficients of repeatability from 4.5 to 14.11, and coefficient of variation from 2.3% to 11.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Fourier domain anterior segment optical coherence tomography is reproducible and reliable for the measurement of epithelial thickness at vertex.
Authors: Taher K Eleiwa; Amr Elsawy; Zeba A Syed; Vatookarn Roongpoovapatr; Ahmed M Sayed; Sonia H Yoo; Mohamed Abou Shousha Journal: Curr Eye Res Date: 2020-02-16 Impact factor: 2.424