Comparison of retinal thickness by Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography and OCT retinal image analysis software segmentation analysis derived from Stratus optical coherence tomography images.

Purpose: To compare thickness measurements between Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) and time-domain OCT images analyzed with a custom-built OCT retinal image analysis software (OCTRIMA).

Methods: Macular mapping (MM) by StratusOCT and MM5 and MM6 scanning protocols by an RTVue-100 FD-OCT device are performed on 11 subjects with no retinal pathology. Retinal thickness (RT) and the thickness of the ganglion cell complex (GCC) obtained with the MM6 protocol are compared for each early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS)-like region with corresponding results obtained with OCTRIMA. RT results are compared by analysis of variance with Dunnett post hoc test, while GCC results are compared by paired t-test.

Results: A high correlation is obtained for the RT between OCTRIMA and MM5 and MM6 protocols. In all regions, the StratusOCT provide the lowest RT values (mean difference 43 ± 8 μm compared to OCTRIMA, and 42 ± 14 μm compared to RTVue MM6). All RTVue GCC measurements were significantly thicker (mean difference between 6 and 12 μm) than the GCC measurements of OCTRIMA.

Conclusion: High correspondence of RT measurements is obtained not only for RT but also for the segmentation of intraretinal layers between FD-OCT and StratusOCT-derived OCTRIMA analysis. However, a correction factor is required to compensate for OCT-specific differences to make measurements more comparable to any available OCT device.