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OCT segmentation errors in children with ROP history may explain microstructure anomalies
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NICE, France — Segmentation errors on spectral-domain OCT imaging might be correlated with microstructure abnormalities in the retinas of patients with a history of ROP and ROP treatment, further explaining why these patients develop poor vision despite a normal fundus appearance.
In previous OCT studies, Wei-Chi Wu, MD, PhD, had already demonstrated that the eyes of prematurely born children have a steeper corneal curvature, a shallow anterior chamber and a thicker lens. They also have a less prominent foveal depression resulting from incomplete fovealization and a thinner choroid that brings less oxygen and fewer nutrients to the retina.
Wei-Chi Wu
“These anomalies are likely to be the cause of poor visual acuity, high refractive error, high incidence of glaucoma and cataract, and may explain why, when you see these children at the age of 7 or 8, they have normal fundus photography but vision is only 20/60 or 20/50,” Wu said at the Euretina meeting.
In a more recent study, 133 eyes of children aged 4 years to 16 years underwent OCT analysis of the photoreceptor microstructures in the foveal region. A high rate of segmentation errors, including misidentification of the inner and outer retina, out of register artifacts, off-center scans and degraded images, was found in the scans of children with a history of ROP and ROP treatment, he said.
Wu and colleagues hypothesized a correlation between segmentation errors and microstructure abnormalities.
“The cell lining is not perfect, so the OCT machine cannot probably identify these structures. This is our hypothesis, and future studies should clarify the underlying mechanism of what we have been able to see,” Wu said. – by Michela Cimberle
Disclosure: Wu reports no relevant financial disclosures.