Comparison of peripapillary choroidal thickness measurements via spectral domain optical coherence tomography with and without enhanced depth imaging

Objectives: To compare peripapillary choroidal thickness (PP-CT) measurements using a spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) device with and without enhanced depth imaging (EDI).

Methods: Sixty healthy subjects aged from 18 to 40 years were included in this study. PP-CTs were measured in the right eyes by manual segmentation via SD-OCT both with and without EDI. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for each technique and comparison of PP-CT measurements between two techniques were evaluated. The correlation between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and PP-CT was also explored on images of SD-OCT without EDI.

Results: The PP-CT measurements of 55 subjects were evaluated. The ICC was 0.999 (95% CI: 0.998–1.0, p < 0.001) for SD-OCT with EDI and 0.996 (95% CI: 0.995–0.997, p < 0.001) for SD-OCT without EDI. The mean PP-CT measurements in all regions and the overall mean PP-CT measurements between the two techniques were not different (p > 0.05). Additionally, there was no correlation between RNFL thickness and PP-CT (r = ?0.109; p = 0.335).

Conclusions: The PP-CT measurements via SD-OCT without EDI were consistent with the measurements via SD-OCT with EDI. Ophthalmologists who do not have access to EDI technology can use images of SD-OCT without EDI to measure the peripapillary choroid for research purposes. However, thicker peripapillary choroids cannot be measured using this technique and require further modifications or newer technologies, such as SD-OCT with EDI