The compatibility between optical coherence tomography and fundus fluorescein angiography in the detection of macular edema involving the fovea

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the compatibility between optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) in the detection of macular edema (ME) excluding subretinal fluid (SRF) involving the fovea. Materials and methods: In this retrospective study in the Ophthalmology Department at our university hospital, interpretation of OCT and FFA images was performed for 200 eyes that underwent simultaneous FFA and OCT to rule out ME. The cases having SRF were excluded from the study. Results: Of 200 eyes, 193 eyes (96.5%) had the finding of ME confirmed by both techniques. There were 2 eyes (1%) for which FFA revealed ME involving fovea with hyperfluorescence in the macula while OCT demonstrated no intraretinal edema or subretinal fluid in the macula. For 5 eyes in the study (2.5%), OCT revealed intraretinal edema in the fovea, while these were not detected by FFA. Conclusion: This study suggests that FFA and OCT are highly sensitive techniques for the detection of ME and they correlate with each other. The little discrepancy between OCT and FFA for determining ME may be due to intracellular or extracellular edema and fast or slower development of retinal edema.