Diagnostic performance of anterior chamber angle measurements for detecting eyes with narrow angles: an anterior segment OCT study

Abstract

Objective: To assess the diagnostic performance of angle measurements from anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) images for identifying eyes with narrow angles.

Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study of individuals 50 years or older who had phakic eyes and who underwent AS-OCT imaging in the dark by a single operator and gonioscopy by an ophthalmologist masked to AS-OCT findings. An eye was considered to have narrow angles if the posterior pigmented trabecular meshwork was not visible for at least 180° on gonioscopy. Horizontal AS-OCT images were analyzed for the following measurements using customized software: angle opening distance (AOD) at 250, 500, and 750 μm from the scleral spur; trabecular-iris space area (TISA) at 500 and 750 μm; and angle recess area (ARA) at 750 μm. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were generated for AOD, TISA, and ARA to assess the performance of these measurements in detecting eyes with narrow angles.

Results: Of 2047 individuals examined, 582 were excluded mostly because of poor image quality or inability to locate the scleral spur. Of the remaining 1465 participants, 315 (21.5%) had narrow angles on gonioscopy. Mean (SD) age was 62.7 (7.7) years, 54.1% were women, and 90.0% were Chinese. The AUCs were highest for AOD750 in the nasal (0.90 [95% confidence interval, 0.89-0.92]) and temporal (0.91 [0.90-0.93]) quadrants.

Conclusions: The AOD750 is the most useful angle measurement for identifying individuals with gonioscopic narrow angles in gradable AS-OCT images. Poor definition of the scleral spur precludes quantitative analysis in approximately 25% of AS-OCT images.