Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography versus Dye Angiography in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Sensitivity and Specificity Analysis

Abstract

Introduction Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) could be a valid tool to detect choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), allowing the analysis of the type, the morphology, and the extension of CNV in most of the cases. Purpose To determine the sensitivity and specificity of OCTA in detecting CNV secondary to nAMD, compared to fluorescein angiography (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA). Methods Prospective observational study. Patients with suspected nAMD were recruited between May and December 2016. Patients underwent FA, ICGA, spectral domain OCT, and OCTA (AngioVue, Optovue, Inc.). Sensitivity and specificity of FA, with or without ICGA, were assessed and compared with OCTA. Results Seventy eyes of 70 consecutive patients were included: 32 eyes (45.7%) with type I CNV, 8 eyes (11.4%) with type II CNV, 4 eyes (5.7%) with type III CNV, 6 eyes (8.6%) with mixed type I and type II CNV, and 20 eyes (28.6%) with no CNV. Sensitivity of OCTA was 88% and specificity was 90%. Concordance between FA/ICGA and OCTA was very good (0,91; range 0,81–1,00). Conclusions OCTA showed high sensitivity and specificity for detection of CNV. Concordance between OCTA and gold-standard dye-based techniques was excellent. OCTA may represent a first-line noninvasive method for the diagnosis of nAMD.

Use of the Retinal Vascular Histology to Validate an Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Technique

“…It provides a volume imaging tool that allows further understanding of the normative human retinal vascular anatomy and physiology, displays pathological and disease progression, 1 and has a higher specificity and sensitivity in detecting some ocular vasculopathies. 2 , 3…”

Features and Diagnostic Accuracy of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration

“…Among 86 eyes, 46.4% (26/56) had well-circumscribed vessels while 53.6% (30/56) revealed poorly circumscribed vessels [11]. The study done by Nikolopoulou et al reported that OCTA had sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 90% [20]. Another study reported sensitivity and specificity of OCTA to be 89.2% and 93.3%, respectively [13].…”

Physiological changes in retinal layers thicknesses measured with swept source optical coherence tomography

“…Traditionally, the age of 40 years has been established as the age of onset of the classic ophthalmological alterations, although other pathologies such as macular alterations are more common beyond 50 years, so these changes in the choroid can be a predictive factor of future clinical alterations [ 7 , 29 , 30 ].…”