Comparison of central corneal thickness measured by ultrasound pachymetry, corneal topography, spectral domain- optical coherence tomography, and non-contact specular microscopy

Abstract

BackgroundThis study aims to investigate the compatibility of central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements obtained with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), Scheimpflug-Placido-based corneal topography (CT), non-contact specular microscopy (NCSM), and ultrasonic pachymetry (UP). These four corneal measurement techniques have not been compared in a single study on these many subjects. MethodsCCT was measured in 185 eyes of 185 volunteers with each of the four devices by a single observer. CCTs from Optovue® iVue SD-OCT, Sirius corneal topography, NonconRobo NCSM, and Accutom UP devices were recorded. Compatibility between devices was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. Pairwise comparisons were performed using the Bonferroni test. Measurement differences between devices were analyzed with the Pearson correlation coefficient. ResultsOf the 185 volunteers, 103 were men, and 82 were women. Their mean age was 48.55 ± 16.6 (18–70) years. Mean CCT values measured by UP, CT, OCT, and NCSM were 546.77 ± 39.2, 535.29 ± 39.2, 526.49 ± 39.05, 505.15 ± 46.1 µm, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found between the mean CCT values obtained from the paired devices (p <0.001). The highest difference between pairs was found between UP and NCSM (43.63 ± 1.8 µm; CI 38.74 to 48.5 µm; p <0.001), while the lowest difference was found between OCT and CT (7.3 ± 1.5 µm; 95%CI 3.1 to 11.6 µm; p <0.001). In pairwise comparisons of four devices, the highest ICC value was between UP and CT (ICC: 0.899, 95%CI 0.759–0.947; p <0.001). ConclusionDespite the high correlation between measurements obtained from different methods, notable differences in CCT values exist, rendering devices non-interchangeable. Therefore, alternative brands of the same device may yield different outcomes.