Assessment Of Beta-Zone Peripapillary Atrophy By Optical Coherence Tomography And Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy Imaging In Glaucoma Patients

Purpose: To assess beta-zone peripapilla ry atrophy (beta-PPA) using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO), and fundus auto-fluorescence (FAF) imaging in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma with advanced glaucomatous visual field defects.Methods: A consecutive, prospective series of 82 study eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma were included in this study. All study participants underwent a full ophthalmic examination followed by SD-OCT, wide-field SLO, and FAF imaging of the optic nerve head and the peripapillary region.Results: Eighty-four glaucomatous eyes were included in our prospective study. Correlation analyses for horizontally and vertically obtained beta-PPA for all three imaging modalities (color SLO, FAF, and SD-OCT) revealed highest correlations between FAF and color SLO (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.904 [P<0.001] for horizontal beta-PPA and 0.786 [P<0.001] for vertical beta-PPA). Bland-Altman plotting revealed highest agreements between color SLO and FAF, with -2.1 pixels +/- 1.96 standard deviation (SD) for horizontal beta-PPA, SD: 10.5 pixels and 2.4 pixels +/- 1.96 SD for vertical beta-PPA.Conclusion: beta-PPA can be assessed using en-face SLO and cross-sectional SD-OCT imaging. Correlation analyses revealed highest correlations between color SLO and FAF imaging, while correlations between SLO and SD-OCT were weak. A more precise structural definition of beta-PPA is needed.