Comparison of anterior segment optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy for assessment of the anterior segment.

PURPOSE: To compare anterior segment parameters using quantitative imaging by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM).

SETTING: Tertiary-care glaucoma research center.

METHODS: Sixty-three eyes of 63 subjects had anterior segment evaluation by AS-OCT (Visante-Zeiss) and UBM (Paradigm). Central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD) (measured from the central corneal endothelium to the anterior lens capsule), and the peripheral iridocorneal angles (temporal and nasal) were assessed and compared.

RESULTS: There was an excellent correlation between AS-OCT and UBM measurements for the nasal angle (r = 0.84; P<.0001), temporal angle (r = 0.86; P<.0001), ACD (r = 0.97; P<.0001), and CCT (r = 0.91; P<.0001). There was no significant difference (paired t test) between the mean ACD, CCT, and angle parameters measured by AS-OCT or UBM. The mean values of the parameters measured by AS-OCT and UBM were, respectively, as follows: nasal angle, 26.25 degrees +/- 11.0 (SD) and 28.27 +/- 11.3 degrees (P = .3); temporal angle, 25.1 +/- 11.4 degrees and 28.3 +/- 13.5 degrees (P = .15); ACD, 2.85 +/- 0.5 mm and 2.78 +/- 0.5 mm (P = .2); and CCT, 512 +/- 46 microm and 502 +/- 46 microm (P = .25). The AS-OCT images showed sharper definition of the scleral spur than the UBM images.

CONCLUSION: Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and UBM can both be used for anterior segment measurements and yielded comparable results.