Repeatability and Reproducibility of Retinal Neuronal and Axonal Measures on Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients with Cognitive Impairment

BACKGROUND: With increasing interest in determining if measurement of retinal neuronal structure with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is useful in accessing neurodegenerative process in cognitive decline and development of dementia, it is important to evaluate whether the SD-OCT measurements are repeatable and reproducible in these patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with no change in global clinical dementia rating (CDR) score at 1-year follow-up were eligible to be included. Ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) parameters were measured with SD-OCT at baseline, 6-month, and 1-year follow-up visits. At baseline, SD-OCT scans were repeated to access intra-visit repeatability of the SD-OCT measurement. SD-OCT measurement over three visits was used to access inter-visit reproducibility. We calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficients of variation (CoVs). RESULTS: We included 32 patients with stable AD and 29 patients with stable MCI in the final analysis. For GC-IPL measures, the average intra-visit ICC was 0.969 (range: 0.948–0.985), and CoV was 1.81% (range: 1.14–2.40); while the average inter-visit ICC was 0.968 (0.941–0.985), and CoV was 1.91% (range: 1.24–2.32). The average ICC and CoV of intra-visit RNFL measured were 0.965 (range: 0.937–0.986) and 2.32% (range: 1.34–2.90%), respectively. The average ICC and CoV of inter-visit RNFL measures were 0.927 (range: 0.845–0.961) and 3.83% (range: 2.71–5.25%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Both GC-IPL and RNFL measurements had good intra-visit repeatability and inter-visit reproducibility over 1 year in elderly patients with no decline in cognitive function, suggesting that SD-OCT is a reliable tool to assess neurodegenerative process over time.