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. 2014 Sep 22:8:1929-36.
doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S67193. eCollection 2014.

Hemifield pattern electroretinogram in ocular hypertension: comparison with frequency doubling technology and optical coherence tomography to detect early optic neuropathy

Alessandro Finzi  1 , Ernesto Strobbe  1 , Filippo Tassi  1 , Michela Fresina  1 , Mauro Cellini  1
Affiliations

Hemifield pattern electroretinogram in ocular hypertension: comparison with frequency doubling technology and optical coherence tomography to detect early optic neuropathy

Alessandro Finzi et al. Clin Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Background: To assess the sensitivity and specificity of hemifield pattern electroretinogram (HF-PERG) for detecting early retinal ganglion cell (RGC) damage in ocular hypertensive (OH) patients.

Methods: Fifty-two OH patients (mean age 56±9.6 years) with an intraocular pressure (IOP) .21 mmHg were assessed. All subjects underwent HF-PERG, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and frequency doubling technology (FDT) visual field.

Results: OH patients showed a significant increase of peak-time of the N95 (P=0.027) compared to controls. The amplitude of the N95 of the lower and upper HF-PERG showed significant differences (P=0.037 and P=0.023, respectively) between the two groups. A significant intraocular (P=0.006) and interocular (P=0.018) asymmetry of N95 amplitude was found. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed a sensitivity of 93% for the N95 of the lower HF-PERG, whereas full-field pattern electroretinogram (PERG) N95 peak-time had a sensitivity of 88%. In OH patients, we found a thinning of OCT - retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), especially in the superior and inferior quadrant, although not statistically significant, and a significantly higher FDT pattern standard deviation (FDT-PSD; P=0.001). In the OCT-RNFL inferior quadrant, a sensitivity of 82% was recorded. Finally, the sensitivity of the FDT-PSD was 92%.

Conclusion: Our study shows that HF-PERG is a very sensitive test for detecting early damage of the RGC.

Keywords: frequency doubling technology; hemifield pattern electroretinogram; ocular hypertension; optical coherence tomography.

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