The Paediatric Glaucoma Diagnostic Ability of Optical Coherence Tomography: A Comparison of Macular Segmentation and Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness

Paediatric glaucoma leads to a decreased thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) and of the macula. These changes can be precisely quantified using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Despite abundant reports in adults, studies on the diagnostic capacity of macular SD-OCT in paediatric glaucoma are rare. The aim of this study was to compare the glaucoma discriminative ability of pRNFL and macular segment thickness in paediatric glaucoma patients and healthy children. Data of 72 children aged 5–17 years (glaucoma: 19 (26.4%), healthy: 53 (73.6%)) examined with SD-OCT (SPECTRALIS®, Heidelberg Engineering) were analysed retrospectively. The thickness of pRNFL sectors and of macular segment subfields were compared between diseased and healthy participants. Areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity from logistic regression were used to evaluate the glaucoma discriminative capacity of single and combined pRNFL and macular segments’ thickness. The results revealed a reduced thickness of the pRNFL and of the three inner macular layers in glaucoma patients, which correlates highly with the presence of glaucoma. The highest glaucoma discriminative ability was observed for the combination of pRNFL sectors or inner macular segments (AUC: 0.83 and 0.85, respectively), although sensitivity remained moderate (both 63% at 95% specificity). In conclusion, while confirmation from investigations in larger cohorts is required, SD-OCT-derived pRNFL and macular thickness measurements seem highly valuable for the diagnosis of paediatric glaucoma.