Decreased OCT-measured pericentral retinal thickness in patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 with minimal diabetic retinopathy
- Carine Biallosterski (c.biallosterski{at}amc.uva.nl),
- Mirjam EJ van Velthoven (m.e.vanvelthoven{at}amc.uva.nl),
- Robert PJ Michels (r.p.michels{at}amc.uva.nl),
- Reinier O Schlingemann (r.schlingemann{at}amc.uva.nl),
- J Hans DeVries (j.h.devries{at}amc.uva.nl),
- Frank D Verbraak (f.d.verbraak{at}amc.uva.nl)
- Academic Medical Centre, Netherlands
- Academic Medical Centre, Netherlands
- Academic Medical Centre, Netherlands
- Academic Medical Centre, Netherlands
- Academic Medical Centre, Netherlands
- Academic Medical Centre, Netherlands
- Published Online First 23 March 2007
Abstract
Aim: A comparison of retinal thickness (RT) measurements with optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and no or minimal diabetic retinopathy (DR) versus healthy controls.
Methods: Fifty-three patients with type 1 DM with no or minimal DR underwent full ophthalmic examination, fundus photography and OCT. Mean RT measured by OCT was calculated for the central fovea, the fovea, the pericentral, and the peripheral area of the macula and compared to normal controls.
Results: Mean RT in the pericentral area was lower in patients with minimal DR (267μm ± 20μm; n=23) compared to healthy subjects (281μm ± 13μm; P value = 0.005; n=28). Mean pericentral RT in patients without DR (276μm ± 14μm; n=30) was less than pericentral RT in normal controls, but higher than in patients with minimal DR, without being statistically significant. None of the other regions showed a significant change.
Conclusion: In this study a significantly decreased pericentral RT was measured in patients with minimal DR compared to healthy controls. This could be explained by a loss of intraretinal neural tissue in the earliest stage of DR.
