Quantitative analysis of neural tissues around the optic disc after panretinal photocoagulation in patients with diabetic retinopathy

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 10; p. e0186229
• Main Authors: Yang, Hyun Seung, Kim, June-Gone, Cha, Jae Bong, Yun, Young In, Park, Jong Hoon, Woo, Jong Eun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 17.10.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Aged; Analysis; Biology and Life Sciences; Care and treatment; Collaboration; Correlation; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic retinopathy; Diabetic Retinopathy - diagnostic imaging; Diabetic Retinopathy - physiopathology; Edema; Eye (anatomy); Female; Glaucoma; Hospitals; Humans; Hypertension; Image acquisition; Low Tension Glaucoma - diagnostic imaging; Low Tension Glaucoma - physiopathology; Male; Measurement techniques; Medical imaging; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Multivariate analysis; Nerve Fibers - pathology; Optic Disk - diagnostic imaging; Optic Disk - physiopathology; Optic nerve; Optical Coherence Tomography; Optics; Patients; Photocoagulation; Quantitative analysis; Research and Analysis Methods; Retina; Retina - diagnostic imaging; Retina - physiopathology; Retinal Ganglion Cells - pathology; Retinopathy; Studies; Tension; Thickness; Tissues; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods; South Korea
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186229

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we quantitatively analyzed the tomographic features in the neural tissues around the optic disc in patients with diabetic retinopathy with and without panretinal photocoagulation. We analyzed 206 eyes, comprising 33 normal eyes in subjects without diabetes (group I), 30 eyes without diabetic retinopathy (group II), 66 eyes with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (group III), 45 eyes with panretinal photocoagulation (group IV), and 32 eyes with normal tension glaucoma (group V). Sequential images acquired using swept-source optical coherence tomography in three-dimensional mode were used to measure peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, neuro-retinal rim thickness, anterior lamina cribrosa depth, prelaminar thickness, and thickness of the lamina cribrosa. The peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and lamina cribrosa thickness were significantly thinner in group IV than in group III (p = 0.019 and p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in rim thickness, anterior lamina cribrosa depth, or prelaminar thickness between groups III and IV (p = 0.307, p = 0.877, and p = 0.212). Multivariate analysis revealed that time since panretinal photocoagulation and thickness of the lamina cribrosa had a significant effect on peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (p < 0.001 and p = 0.014). In group IV, there was a negative correlation between time elapsed since panretinal photocoagulation and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, rim thickness, and thickness of the lamina cribrosa (r = -0.765, r = -0.490, and r = -0.419), but no correlation with prelaminar thickness or anterior lamina cribrosa depth (r = 0.104 and r = -0.171). Panretinal photocoagulation may be related to thinning of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, rim thickness, and lamina cribrosa, but not prelaminar thickness or anterior lamina cribrosa depth. These features are different from the peripapillary features of eyes with typical normal tension glaucoma.