Macular Perfusion Parameters in Different Angiocube Sizes: Does The Size Matter in Quantitative Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography?

Purpose: To investigate the macular quantitative parameters interchangeability of three different optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) angiocubes (i.e., 3 × 3, 6 × 6, and 12 × 12 mm) on healthy subjects and patients affected by diabetic retinopathy (DR) and to assess the interrater reliability of such indices across the different scan protocols.

Methods: Retrospective study involving 20 eyes of healthy subjects and 20 eyes with DR. All eyes underwent swept-source OCT-A with 3 × 3-, 6 × 6-, and 12 × 12-mm angiocubes centered on the fovea. Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area and vessel density on 3 × 3-, 6 × 6-, and 12 × 12-mm macular scans were calculated by three independent operators at all retina, superficial, deep, and choriocapillary vascular layers. Interchangeability and interrater reliabilities were estimated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results: Interscan reproducibility of FAZ area was very strong (ICC > 0.85) at every plexus. On the contrary, vessel density values significantly varied across different scan sizes (ICC < 0.51). Intrascan interrater reliability was high for all retina and superficial FAZ areas, while it was satisfactory at deep capillary plexus only for 3 × 3-mm scan.

Conclusions: FAZ area at all plexuses is a robust parameter even if calculated on angiocubes with different size. However, interrater reliability is higher when measured in smaller scans. Conversely, vessel density results depend on the size of angiocube, although their interrater reliability is extremely high. Studies involving OCT-A should take into consideration that scan size may influence macular perfusion parameters and interrater reliability.