Identification of Optical Density Ratios in Subretinal Fluid as a Clinically Relevant Biomarker in Exudative Macular Disease

Abstract

Results suggest that CMM may correlate with BCVA at BSL, but has limited predictive value regarding recovery of visual function. Most interesting, ODR correlated with BCVA under therapy and was the only parameter that was pathognomic for nAMD in contrast to CSC in this study. ODR may reflect the status of the blood-retina barrier and may be used for pathophysiologic differentiation and prognostic purposes in exudative macular disease.

Differential Optical Density of Subretinal Spaces

“…While Ahlers et al showed highly significant differences in OD measurements between CSR and AMD, 5 we can speculate only as to why we detected no such differences in our patients. One reason might be the different OCT instruments used: the Cirrus spectral domain OCT in the study of Ahlers et al 5 versus the SPECTRALIS spectral domain OCT in our study.…”

“…Our current study did not look into the possibility of whether changes in OD within specific disease states correlate with prognosis, as was done with neovascular AMD in an earlier study by Ahlers et al 5 More data on the development and clinical course of diseases and changes in OD are needed to determine the relationship between altered OD and prognosis.…”

“…4 Ahlers et al demonstrated that the OD changes in SRF correlated with best corrected visual acuity changes under intra-vitreous ranibizumab therapy for neovascular AMD. 5 In view of the findings on the relationship between the OD of SRF and various retinal diseases, we undertook a crosssectional study in which the mean reflectivity of the SRF compartment was measured and expressed as optical density ratios (ODRs) between the SRF and the overlying vitreous located at exactly the same lateral site above the SRF. We followed an approach similar to that of Ahlers et al, who used a Cirrus Spectral domain OCT (software version, 2.0.1.3; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA).…”

“…We followed an approach similar to that of Ahlers et al, who used a Cirrus Spectral domain OCT (software version, 2.0.1.3; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA). 5 ODRs were compared in patients with neovascular AMD, diabetic retinopathy (DR), RRD, CSR, RS, and pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME). We speculated that analysis of the ODR and its variation in different ocular disease states would differentiate between pathologies in difficult diagnostic cases, and provide clues to the pathogenesis of retinal diseases.…”

Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

“…The fl uid can be recorded by SD-OCT as a hyporefl ective area which is homogenous when it begins and can get denser and gain refl ectivity as it persists. SRF is assumed to become increasingly toxic as it gains refl ectivity, impairing recovery of visual acuity [ 13 ]. SRF is usually either dome-shaped or fl at, but when associated with a PED appears as a triangular shape on OCT B-scans surrounding the PED to form a ring around it [ 12 ].…”