Choroidal thickness measurement in healthy pediatric population using Cirrus HD optical coherence tomography

Purpose: To investigate the association between central choroidal thickness (CT), axial length (AL), age, gender, and refractive error in a healthy pediatric population using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods: This institutional study involved 137 healthy children (57 boys, 80 girls) aged between 4 and 18 years. Each child underwent a dilated eye examination, cycloplegic refraction, and AL measurement using a Nidek AL-Scan optical biometer. The central foveal thickness (CFT) and CT were measured using Cirrus high definition (HD)-OCT. The right eye of each subject was selected for analysis. Results: The mean age of the children was 10.0 ± 4.7 years (range, 4-18 years). The mean spherical equivalent (SE) was -0.24 ± 1.24 diopters (D) (range, -2.00 D to +2.25 D). The mean AL was 23.1 ± 1.2 mm (range, 20-27 mm). The mean central CT was 388.2 ± 50.0 μm and was not correlated with age, gender, AL, or refractive error. Conclusion: The data provide a pediatric normative database of CT using enhanced depth imaging OCT. This information may be useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of retino-choroidal diseases in children.

研究目的：本研究旨在利用光学相干断层扫描（optical coherence tomography, OCT）技术，探究健康儿童人群中中心脉络膜厚度（central choroidal thickness, CT）、眼轴长度（axial length, AL）、年龄、性别与屈光不正之间的关联。
研究方法：本项机构性研究共纳入137名健康儿童（男57名，女80名），年龄介于4至18岁之间。所有受试者均接受散瞳眼部检查、睫状肌麻痹验光，并使用尼德克（Nidek）AL-Scan光学生物测量仪完成眼轴长度测量。采用Cirrus高清光学相干断层扫描（Cirrus high definition-HD-OCT）测量中心凹厚度（central foveal thickness, CFT）与脉络膜厚度。本研究选取每一位受试者的右眼用于数据分析。
研究结果：本研究受试者的平均年龄为10.0±4.7岁（年龄范围4~18岁）；平均球镜等效值（spherical equivalent, SE）为-0.24±1.24屈光度（diopters, D），范围为-2.00 D至+2.25 D；平均眼轴长度为23.1±1.2 mm（范围20~27 mm）；平均中心脉络膜厚度为388.2±50.0 μm，且该指标与年龄、性别、眼轴长度及屈光不正均无相关性。
研究结论：本研究数据构建了基于增强深度成像光学相干断层扫描（enhanced depth imaging OCT）的儿童脉络膜厚度正常参考数据库。该研究结果可为儿童视网膜脉络膜疾病的诊断与病情监测提供参考依据。