[Value of Heidelberg retinal tomography in glaucoma diagnostics].

BACKGROUND: The Heidelberg retinal tomography (HRT) is a technique that has been used for more than 20 years for glaucoma diagnostics and management. Many hundreds of scientific investigations have tested the reliability and accuracy of HRT for the early diagnosis of glaucoma and just as many studies can be found on the detection of progression in glaucoma. It is still one of the leading imaging systems for the detection and follow-up of glaucoma. Hardware and statistical methods implemented for progression detection have been regularly updated by the company and internationally known glaucoma specialists.
METHODS: Besides the analysis of stereometric parameters and trend analyses, the primary method for assessing glaucomatous change using the HRT is the topographic change analysis (TCA), a technique that compares the variability within a baseline examination to that between baseline and follow-up examinations.Furthermore, the flicker comparison enables detection of small topographic changes over time.
CONCLUSION: The use of HRT does not replace clinical examinations but facilitates the assessment and management of glaucoma depending on observer experience. This imaging method will still have a significant value in the future for glaucoma diagnostics, with a special emphasis on assessment of progression.