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Comparison of central corneal thickness measurements using ultrasound pachymetry, ultrasound biomicroscopy, and the Artemis-2 VHF scanner in normal eyes
Authors Alfarhan H , Al-Otaibi
Received 14 April 2012
Accepted for publication 29 May 2012
Published 6 July 2012 Volume 2012:6 Pages 1037—1043
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S32955
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 2
Haya M Al-Farhan, Wafa’a Majed Al-Otaibi
Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, College of Applied Medicine Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudia Arabia
Purpose: To compare the precision of central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements taken with the handheld ultrasound pachymeter (USP), ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), and the Artemis-2 very high frequency ultrasound scanner (VHFUS) on normal subjects.
Design: Prospective study.
Methods: One eye from each of 61 normal subjects was randomly selected for this study. The measurements of the CCT were taken with the USP, VHFUS, and UBM. Results were compared statistically using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and limits of agreement.
Results: The average CCT (± standard deviation) was 530.1 ± 30.5 µm, 554.9 ± 31.7 µm, and 559.5 ± 30.7 µm for UBM, VHFUS, and USP respectively. The intraobserver repeatability analyses of variance are not significant for USP, UBM, and VHFUS. P-values were 0.17, 0.19, and 0.37 respectively. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant difference between the three different methods of measuring CCT (P = 0.0001). The ANOVA test revealed no statistically significant difference between USP and VHFUS (P > 0.05), yet statistical significant differences with UBM versus USP and UBM versus VHFUS (P < 0.001). There were high correlations between the three instruments (P < 0.0001). The mean differences (and upper/lower limits of agreement) for CCT measurements were 29.4 ± 14.3 (2.7/56), 4.6 ± 8.6 (-14.7/23.8), and -24.8 ± 13.1 (-50.4/0.8) for USP versus UBM, USP versus VHFUS, and UBM versus VHFUS, respectively.
Conclusion: The UBM produces CCT measurements that vary significantly from those returned by the USP and the VHFUS, suggesting that the UBM may not be used interchangeably with either equipment for monitoring the CCT in the clinical setting.
Keywords: central corneal thickness, ultrasound pachymetry, ultrasound biomicroscopy, Artemis-2 VHFUS, Artemis, normal eyes
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