Corneal epithelium mapping for keratoconus severity grading

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session: Infection & Imaging

Venue: Poster Village: Pod 2

First Author: : E.Kudryashova RUSSIA

Co Author(s): :    V. Gavrilyuk   D. Maltsev   A. Kulikov   S. Churashov   T. Gren           

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To study epithelial mapping as the base for keratoconus classification scheme.

Setting:

This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation.

Methods:

Forty-two eyes of 38 keratoconus patients (32 men, 6 women, mean age 32.8±9.2 years) were included and categorized into 3 groups: stage 1 (15 eyes), stage 2 (15 eyes), stage 3 (12 eyes). Twelve eyes of 12 healthy volunteers with corneal myopic astigmatism more than 1.5 D (9 men, 3 women, mean age 33.6±8.2 years) were included in the control group. All patients underwent examination with scheimpflug camera and anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Central epithelial thickness (ET), minimum ET, maximum ET, and ET magnitude were taken as diagnostic criteria.

Results:

In differentiation of keratoconus eyes from eyes of healthy individuals, minimum ET and ET magnitude showed the highest AUC 0.87 (95% CI (confidence interval) 0.747-0.944) and 0.92 (95% CI 0.810-0.974), respectively. Minimum ET in the eyes with keratoconus stage 1, 2, 3, and healthy eyes was 44.2±3.2 μm, 40.9±6.2 μm, 36.4±5.8 μm, and 48.4±5.3 μm, respectively (ANOVAx4, P<0.001). ET magnitude in eyes with keratoconus stage 1, 2, 3, and healthy eyes was 16.0±2.2 μm, 20.5±7.8 μm, 29.7±8.1 μm, and 9.5±4.9 μm, respectively (ANOVAx4, P <0.001).

Conclusions:

The minimum value and magnitude of the corneal epithelium thickness showed the highest potential to be used as the diagnostic criteria for keratoconus and may be adopted as the base for keratoconus classification scheme.

Financial Disclosure:

None