Correlation between the ganglion cell complex and structural measures of the optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer in glaucoma

Abstract

To correlate the ganglion cell complex (GCC) parameters with structural measures of the optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) as evaluated by Fourier-Domain optic coherence tomography (OCT). This retrospective study included patients with glaucoma, ocular hypertensive patients and glaucoma suspects who had previously undergone OCT examination with the RTVue-100. The parameters of GCC (average, superior, inferior, focal loss volume [FLV], global loss volume [GLV]) were correlated with the values of the ONH (cup volume, cup area, horizontal cup-to-disk ratio, vertical cup-to-disk ratio, and rim area) and RNFL (average, superior, and inferior) using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The sample included 74 eyes of 37 patients. All correlations between GCC parameters and RNFL were strong (r > 0.60). The correlation between GCC parameters and ONH were good for most parameters, except that for FLV and cup volume (r = 0.13), GLV and cup volume (r = 0.09), and GLV and cup area (r = 0.21). The GCC parameters can be used as structural measures of the glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

Comparison of Structural Defects between Optic Disc and Ganglion Cell Complex in Patients with Glaucoma

“…GCC analysis has a significant correlation with RNFL study in both glaucoma patients and healthy individuals and probably has a higher diagnostic ability than RNFL, to detect the early glaucomatous damage [13]. Instead The correlations of GCC indices with the optic disk parameters are not equally strong (r>0,2), especially for GLV and FLV [14]. In patients with primary open angle glaucoma and glaucoma suspects patients the progression of the GCC damage follows the perimetric defects (P = 0.007) and presents a strong correlation (r > 0.60) with the visual fields indices [15,16].…”