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. 2022 Jan 3;11(1):3.
doi: 10.1167/tvst.11.1.3.

OCT Assisted Quantification of Vitreous Inflammation in Uveitis

Xiaoxuan Liu  1   2   3   4   5 , Aditya U Kale  1   2 , Giovanni Ometto  6   7 , Giovanni Montesano  6   7 , Alice J Sitch  8   9 , Nicholas Capewell  1   2 , Charlotte Radovanovic  1   2 , Nicholas Bucknall  10 , Nicholas A V Beare  11 , David J Moore  9 , Pearse A Keane  3   7   12 , David P Crabb  6 , Alastair K Denniston  1   2   4   5   7
Affiliations

OCT Assisted Quantification of Vitreous Inflammation in Uveitis

Xiaoxuan Liu et al. Transl Vis Sci Technol. .

Abstract

Purpose: Vitreous haze (VH) is a key marker of inflammation in uveitis but limited by its subjectivity. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has potential as an objective, noninvasive method for quantifying VH. We test the hypotheses that OCT can reliably quantify VH and the measurement is associated with slit-lamp based grading of VH.

Methods: In this prospective study, participants underwent three repeated OCT macular scans to evaluate the within-eye reliability of the OCT vitreous intensity (VI). Association between OCT VI and clinical findings (including VH grade, phakic status, visual acuity [VA], anterior chamber cells, and macular thickness) were assessed.

Results: One hundred nineteen participants were included (41 healthy participants, 32 patients with uveitis without VH, and 46 patients with uveitis with VH). Within-eye test reliability of OCT VI was high in healthy eyes and in all grades of VH (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] > 0.79). Average OCT VI was significantly different between healthy eyes and uveitic eyes without and uveitic eyes with VH, and was associated with increasing clinical VH grade (P < 0.05). OCT VI was significantly associated with VA, whereas clinical VH grading was not. Cataract was also associated with higher OCT VI (P = 0.03).

Conclusions: OCT VI is a fast, noninvasive, objective, and automated method for measuring vitreous inflammation. It is associated with clinician grading of vitreous inflammation and VA, however, it can be affected by media opacities.

Translational relevance: OCT imaging for quantifying vitreous inflammation shows high within-eye repeatability and is associated with clinical grading of vitreous haze. OCT measurements are also associated with visual acuity but may be affected by structures anterior to the acquisition window, such as lens opacity and other anterior segment changes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: X. Liu, None; A.U. Kale, None; G. Ometto, None; G. Montesano, CenterVue (C); A.J. Sitch, None; N. Capewell, None; C. Radovanovic, None; N. Bucknall, None; N.A.V. Beare, Alimera Sciences (F), Gilead Sciences (F); D.J. Moore, None; P.A. Keane, DeepMind Technologies (C), Roche (C), Novartis (C), Apellis (C), Bayer (F), Allergan (F), Topcon (F), Heidelberg Engineering (F); D.P. Crabb, CenterVue (C), Apellis (C, F), Santen (F, R), Allergan (R), Thea (R); A.K. Denniston, None

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Segmented B scan with region of interest, vitreous. A ratio of the signal intensity between the red area and the whole B scan (red plus green areas) yields a measurement of vitreous signal intensity which is logarithmically transformed and recorded in arbitrary units.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Flowchart showing patient recruitment and assessment process.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Box and whisker plot showing median of OCT vitreous intensity measurements in each NEI vitreous haze grade. Minimum point is 1.5 × IQR below first quartile, and maximum point is 1.5 × IQR above first quartile. Circles denote outliers.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
OCT vitreous intensity in eyes with and without cataract (top), association between OCT vitreous intensity measurement with visual acuity (LogMAR) (middle), association between OCT vitreous intensity measurement with central macular thickness (bottom).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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