Comparison of the choroidal vascularity index measurements of images acquired with different optical coherence tomography scan scale types.

PURPOSE:To evaluate the differences in choroidal vascularity index (CVI) measurements between images acquired at the 1:1 pixel scale and at the 1:1 µ m scale of the Heidelberg optical coherence tomography device. METHODS:Forty-five healthy eyes of 45 healthy subjects were included for this study. Fovea-centered scans were obtained with an enhanced-depth imaging mode with a high-speed protocol scan. Each scan was exported in 3 different types: 1) 1:1 pixel scale type; 2) 1:1 µ m scale type (MST); and 3) 4×-magnified MST (4×MST; 400%-magnified 1:1 µ m images exported via screenshot). A comparison between CVI measurements based on the different scale types of optical coherence tomography images was conducted using the Bland-Altman analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS:The image with the worst clarity was acquired via the MST, and the CVI was found to be higher in MST images (69.05 ± 3.21) compared with the other groups. The intraclass correlation coefficient between the CVI values of the 4×MST and pixel scale type images was 0.92, between those of the 4×MST and MST images was 0.33, and between those of the pixel scale type and MST images was 0.44. CONCLUSION:The optical coherence tomography scale and export method type significantly influence the image resolution, CVI, and choroidal area measurements.