Long-term repeatability of peripapillary optical coherence tomography angiography measurements in healthy eyes

Abstract

This is a prospective observational study to establish the short- and long-term repeatability of measurements of peripapillary optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) parameters in healthy eyes and identify factors affecting long-term repeatability. We enrolled 84 healthy eyes. Participants with a history of any ophthalmic disease (except high myopia) or intraocular surgery were excluded from the study. An experienced examiner performed OCTA using disc-centered 6 x 6 mm scans. All examinations were conducted twice at 5-min intervals at the initial visit and repeated at least 6 months later. For short-term repeatability, the coefficient of variation (CV) was 2.94-4.22% and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.840-0.934. For long-term repeatability, the CV was 2.73-3.84% and the ICC was 0.737-0.934. Multivariate analyses showed that the axial length (AL) (B = 0.970; p = 0.002) and mean signal strength (SS) (B = - 2.028; p < 0.001) significantly affected long-term repeatability. Measurements of peripapillary OCTA parameters exhibited excellent short-term and good long-term repeatability in healthy individuals. The mean SS and AL affected long-term repeatability and should be considered while interpreting peripapillary OCTA images.