FD-OCT can detect retinal GCC atrophy

In a recent study, FD-OCT demonstrated a high diagnostic ability to detect reductions in both ganglion cell complex (GCC) and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness in different stages of glaucoma.

Dr Mehmet Sahin Sevim and colleagues (Department of Ophthalmology, Haydarpasa Numune Research and Education Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey) included a total of 113 patients diagnosed with glaucoma and 30 healthy subjects in the study. The glaucoma patients were classified into various stages of glaucoma according to the Glaucoma Staging System 2. The retinal GCC and peripapillary RNFL were measured using FD-OCT (RTVue-100) in all patients and comparisons were made from patients in different stages of the disease.

The team found that the measurements of both GCC and RNFL thickness were statistically significantly lower when compared with the measurements taken from the healthy subjects. Additionally, the measurements were found to reduce as the stage of glaucoma progressed.

It was concluded that FD-OCT measurements of GCC and RNFL thickness demonstrated a high diagnostic ability in glaucoma detection and that it is possible to determine mean thickness values for each stage of glaucoma progression.

For more information view the abstract from the Journal of Glaucoma.