Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging of the Lamina Cribrosa: Structural Biomarkers in Nonglaucomatous Diseases

Autores da FMUP

• José Carlos De Magalhães Silva Cardoso

  Autor

• João Filipe Barbosa Breda

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• Paulo, A
• Vaz, PG
• De Jesus, DA
• Brea, LS
• Van Eijgen, J
• van Walsum, T
• Klein, S
• Stalmans, I

Unidades de investigação

• Cirurgia e Fisiologia

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• Medicina

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

The lamina cribrosa (LC) is an active structure that responds to the strain by changing its morphology. Abnormal changes in LC morphology are usually associated with, and indicative of, certain pathologies such as glaucoma, intraocular hypertension, and myopia. Recent developments in optical coherence tomography (OCT) have enabled detailed in vivo studies about the architectural characteristics of the LC. Structural characteristics of the LC have been widely explored in glaucoma management. However, information about which LC biomarkers could be useful for the diagnosis, and follow-up, of other diseases besides glaucoma is scarce. Hence, this literature review aims to summarize the role of the LC in nonophthalmic and ophthalmic diseases other than glaucoma. PubMed was used to perform a systematic review on the LC features that can be extracted from OCT images. All imaging features are presented and discussed in terms of their importance and applicability in clinical practice. A total of 56 studies were included in this review. Overall, LC depth (LCD) and thickness (LCT) have been the most studied features, appearing in 75% and 45% of the included studies, respectively. These biomarkers were followed by the prelaminar tissue thickness (21%), LC curvature index (5.4%), LC global shape index (3.6%), LC defects (3.6%), and LC strains/deformations (1.8%). Overall, the disease groups showed a thinner LC (smaller LCT) and a deeper ONH cup (larger LCD), with some exceptions. A large variability between approaches used to compute LC biomarkers has been observed, highlighting the importance of having automated and standardized methodologies in LC analysis. Moreover, further studies are needed to identify the pathologies where LC features have a diagnostic and/or prognostic value.

Keywords

• adult; age related macular degeneration; aged; Alzheimer disease; anterior ischemic optic neuropathy; autosomal dominant optic atrophy; clinical feature; clinical practice; diabetes mellitus; diabetic macular edema; follow up; glaucoma; human; lamina cribrosa; major clinical study; migraine; mild cognitive impairment; morphology; myopia; optic nerve disease; optic nerve hypoplasia; optical coherence tomography; Parkinson disease; pseudoexfoliation; retina vein occlusion; Review; sclera; sleep disordered breathing; systematic review; thickness