Faculty Collaboration Database

Optic nerve diffusion tensor imaging parameters and their correlation with optic disc topography and disease severity in adult glaucoma patients and controls. J Glaucoma 2014;23(8):513-20

Date

05/02/2013

Pubmed ID

23632406

Pubmed Central ID

PMC3800509

DOI

10.1097/IJG.0b013e318294861d

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84916636627 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   26 Citations

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate optic nerve diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in glaucoma patients and controls, and to correlate DTI parameters with the rim area obtained with Heidelberg retina tomography (HRT) and with the severity of glaucomatous damage using the Glaucoma Staging System.

DESIGN: Pilot study.

METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with glaucoma and 12 control subjects underwent DTI and HRT imaging. Main outcome measures included: fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, radial diffusivity, HRT rim area, and Glaucoma Staging System stage.

RESULTS: In group comparison, mean diffusivity (1.33 vs. 0.91 μm/ms, P=0.0002), axial diffusivity (1.70 vs. 1.43 μm/ms, P=0.036), and radial diffusivity (1.24 vs. 0.71 μm/ms, P<0.0001) were significantly higher and fractional anisotropy (0.21 vs. 0.44, P<0.0001) was significantly lower in the glaucoma compared with those of control subjects. In glaucoma patients, mean, axial, and radial diffusivities increased and fractional anisotropy decreased as rim area decreases and the Glaucoma stage increased (P<0.05). However, there were no statistically significant differences in the DTI parameters when adjacent pairs of stages were compared (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: DTI may be a useful technique for detection and evaluation of glaucomatous damage in the optic nerve, particularly for patients in whom conventional imaging and perimetry are not possible. Future studies are needed to evaluate how DTI parameters change longitudinally with glaucomatous damage within the visual pathways and address cerebrospinal fluid partial volume effects in diffusion tensor quantification, especially for patients with advanced glaucoma stage.

Author List

Chang ST, Xu J, Trinkaus K, Pekmezci M, Arthur SN, Song SK, Barnett EM

Author

Edward M. Barnett MD, PhD Professor in the Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Case-Control Studies
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Female
Glaucoma
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Optic Disk
Optic Nerve
Prospective Studies
Tomography
Tomography, Optical Coherence