Reproducibility of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer measurements using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the repeatability and reproducibility of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness measurement using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Cirrus HD-OCT).Method One hundred and eight eyes of 54 normal subjects (26 males and 28 females) between 19 and 75 years of age [mean age (46.2± 16.5) years] were included.Each eye underwent macular scanning using Cirrus HD-OCT Macular Cube 512 × 128 protocol by two operators.Three scans of each eye were obtained by each operator.For the right eye of each subject,three extra scans were obtained using Macular Cube 200 × 200 protocol by one operator.The average,minimum,superotemporal,superior,superonasal,inferonasal,inferior,and inferotemporal GCIPL thickness was analyzed and the repeatability of GCIPL thickness measurement was evaluated with intra-operator,inter-operator,intra-protocol,and inter-protocol intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).Ten extra scans were obtained from the left eyes of 10 randomly selected subjects for reproducibility assessment with coefficients of variation (CV).Results The intra-operator ICC of macular GCIPL measurement using Macular Cube 512 × 128 protocol by two operators were 0.959-0.995 and 0.954-0.997,respectively; and the inter-operator ICC were 0.944-0.993.All intra-and inter operator ICC were ＞0.800 with the highest and lowest records of the average and minimum GCIPL thickness,respectively.The intra-protocol ICC of Macular Cube 512 × 128 protocol and Macular Cube 200× 200 protocol were 0.986-0.996 and 0.927-0.997,respectively; and the inter-protocol ICC were 0.966 0.994.All intra-and inter-protocol ICC were ＞0.800.CV of GCIPL thickness measurement using MacularCube 512×128 protocol were (0.70±0.31)％ (1.35±0.86)％.Conclusion Cirrus HDOCT can measure macular GCIPL thickness in normal eyes with excellent repeatability and reproducibility. Key words: Macula lutea/anatomy & histology; Retinal ganglion cells; Tomography, optical coherence; Reproducibility of results