Abstract
A method of semi-automated image analysis for the measurement of retinal vessel diameters is described. This was compared with an observer-driven method for reproducibility and accuracy. The coefficient of variation for the data from the semi-automated method was 1.5–7.5% (depending on the vessel diameter) compared to 6–34% with the observer-driven method. The mean vessel diameters using the observer-driven method tended to be higher; however, this did not reach significance. The speed and low inter- and intra-observer variability for the semi-automated method make it a useful technique for measuring retinal blood vessel diameters. A larger variability was found between photographs taken at different times. This may be due to changes in retinal vessel diameter with changes in retinal perfusion pressure during the cardiac cycle.
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This work was sponsored by a group grant from the British Diabetic Association
Offprint requests to: E.M. Kohner
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Newsom, R.S.B., Sullivan, P.M., Rassam, S.M.B. et al. Retinal vessel measurement: comparison between observer and computer driven methods. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 230, 221–225 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176292
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176292