Evaluation of image artifact produced by optical coherence tomography of retinal pathology

Purpoe To determine the frequency and type of optical coherence tomography (OCT) fat macular thickne map (FMTM) can artifact, and whether thee artifact depend on patient diagnoi, demographic, and ocular therapy. Deign Retropective obervational cae erie. Method Record from patient who underwent an ophthalmologic evaluation by a member of the Duke Univerity Eye Center vitreoretinal faculty and had an OCT can produced by the FMTM protocol between July 7, 2003 and July 31, 2003 were reviewed. The relationhip between OCT can artifact and ocular diagnoi, ocular treatment, and patient demographic were determined. Logitic regreion wa ued to relate OCT can artifact imultaneouly with ocular diagnoi and treatment. Reult can from 171 eye were analyzed. Retinal can artifact, though not oberved in normal eye, were identified frequently in eye with macular pathology (P = .049). Artifact were oberved in 43.2% of all can, and of thee, an erroneou retinal thickne meaurement wa obtained in 62.2%. ix type of OCT urface map artifact were oberved. Of thee, inner and outer retinal miidentification, degraded image artifact, and “off center” artifact were ignificantly aociated with central thickne calculation error (P < .001). Neovacular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), full-thickne macular hole, and photodynamic therapy were all aociated with increaed artifact (P = .002, .022, and <.001, repectively). Concluion Optical coherence tomography can artifact are een urpriingly frequently, adverely affect retinal thickne meaurement in a high proportion of cae, and are diagnoi-dependent. Recognition of thee artifact will improve retinal thickne meaurement accuracy, and will prevent faulty treatment deciion that are baed on inaccurate retinal thickne meaurement.