부산대학교 도서관

SIGNIFICANCE: Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area is a frequently-used biomarker in diseases impacting the retinal vasculature in pediatric populations. Variation in axial length between individuals results in differences in lateral image scale, which affect the accuracy of FAZ area measurements. Accordingly, changes in axial length over time within individual children would affect estimates of FAZ area change. PURPOSE: To quantify how changes in axial length over time affect estimates of FAZ area change using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) images. METHODS: Twenty pediatric participants (<18-years-old) and 40 adult participants were imaged on Optovue’s Avanti system and had axial length measurements acquired at two timepoints. The FAZ was segmented twice using the OCT-A image at each timepoint. FAZ area was estimated at both timepoints using the assumed/fixed axial length of the OCT-A device (unscaled) and using the participant’s axial length (scaled). Changes in FAZ area over time were compared between the pediatric and adult groups using both unscaled and scaled data. RESULTS: The average (±SD) follow-up time was 3.35 ± 1.66 years for the pediatric group and 2.90 ± 1.65 years for the adult group. Using unscaled data, FAZ area appeared to decrease between visits in the pediatric group (P = .004) while the FAZ area increased between visits in the adult group (P = .003). When correctly scaled data were used, the FAZ area still increased between visits for the adult group (P < .001), though the FAZ area no longer showed a significant change between visits for the pediatric group (P = .37). When comparing the normalized FAZ area change across visits between unscaled and scaled data, a significant difference was found between the adult and pediatric groups (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Scaled data should be used when measuring FAZ area in pediatric populations, especially in longitudinal studies.