Spectral domain optical coherence tomographic imaging of geographic atrophy

Abstract

Background and objective: To compare images of geographic atrophy (GA) obtained using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with images obtained using fundus autofluorescence (FAF).

Patients and methods: Five eyes from patients with dry AMD were imaged using SD-OCT and FAF, and the size and shape of the GA were compared.

Results: GA appears bright on SD-OCT compared with the surrounding areas with an intact retinal pigment epithelium because of increased reflectivity from the underlying choroid. SD-OCT and FAF both identified GA reproducibly, and measurement of the area of GA is comparable between the two methods with a mean difference of 2.7% of the total area.

Conclusion: SD-OCT can identify and quantitate areas of GA. The size and shape of these areas correlate well to the areas of GA seen on autofluorescence images; however, SD-OCT imaging also provides important cross-sectional anatomic information.