Megalopapilla in children: a spectral domain optical coherence tomography analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare various optic nerve head (ONH) parameters and peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) thickness between megalopapilla cases and normal control using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in children.

METHODS: Fifty eyes with megalopapilla and 80 normal control eyes of totally 130 children between the ages of 6 and 15 were examined using SD-OCT. Optic nerve head parameters including disc diameter, cup-to-disc ratio, disc area, cup area, rim area, cup volume and rim volume, and pRNFL thickness were analysed and compared between two groups.

RESULTS: Megalopapilla group presented larger optic disc diameter, disc and cup area, cup-to-disc and cup-to-disc area ratio, when compared with normal control group. However, there is no difference in rim area (p = 0.25) and rim volume (p = 0.48) between the two groups. Average pRNFL thickness was higher in the megalopapilla group (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Rim area, rim volume and pRNFL, which reflect the number of retinal nerve fibres, were preserved in children with megalopapilla. Various ONH parameters obtained with SD-OCT may be useful in the differential diagnosis of megalopapilla in children.