Abstract:

Objective To measure the inter-observer reproducibility and intra-observer reproducibility of choroidal vessel layer thickness measurements of macula measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography(SD-OCT). Design Prospective study. Participants 50 individuals selected randomly from the Beijing Eye Study 2011, which included 3187 individuals with a mean age of 64.0±9.6 years that choroidal vessel layer thickness can be measured. Methods The medium choroidal vessel-choriocapillaris layer and the large choroidal vessel layer were measured by two ophthalmologists with enhanced depth imaging of SD-OCT. Only the right eye of each participant was assessed and the measurements were performed at the following locations:  the fovea, 750 μm nasal to the fovea and 750 μm temporal to the fovea. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis were calculated. Main Outcome Measures The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plot. Results The analysis of the intra-observer variability revealed an intra-class correlation coefficient( ICC) of more than 0.945 (P<0.05), thereafter, Bland-Altman plot showed less than 10.0% points outside the 95% limits of agreement. We also found an inter-observer ICC reproducibility value of more than 0.977, whereupon, Bland-Altman plot showed less than 8.0% points outside the 95% limits of agreement. Conclusion Under routine examination conditions, measurements of choroidal vessel layer thickness by SD-OCT showed almost perfect intra-observer reproducibility and inter-observer reproducibility, this procedure is suitable for clinical diagnosis and research of retinal disease.  (Ophthalmol CHN, 2016, 25: 51-57)

Key words: choroidal thickness, reproducibility