Update on retinal vessel structure measurement with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography

• Vascular sections were imaged by spectral domain-optical coherence tomography.
• We used a volume scan mode for the assessment of a specific area of the fundus.
• Retinal vessel outer diameter and lumen diameter were quantitatively measured.
• Scan frame was positioned as perpendicular as possible to the retinal vessel.
• Optical coherence tomography provides a reliable retinal vessel caliber measurement.

This study was conducted to demonstrate a new scan method for retinal vessel structure measurement in a specific region of fundus (zone B) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and to assess its reliability. One temporal superior retinal vessel pair passing through a concentric ring (zone B), which was defined between half and one disc distance from the optic disc border, was chosen for the measurement using a volume scan in SD-OCT. On the SD-OCT image, retinal arteriolar outer diameter (RAOD), retinal arteriolar lumen diameter (RALD), retinal venular outer diameter (RVOD) and retinal venular lumen diameter (RVLD) were measured. Retinal vessel diameters on color fundus photographs were also analyzed. Fifty-five healthy individuals were recruited to evaluate intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility between the two examiners. The intraobserver intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.972 to 0.981, and the interobserver ICC ranged from 0.968 to 0.980. In the Bland–Altman plot, the 95% limits of interobserver agreement for the RAOD, RALD, RVOD and RVLD were − 5.60 to 4.84 μm, − 5.78 to 5.05 μm, − 7.52 to 5.62 μm and − 7.10 to 5.63 μm, respectively. The retinal arteriolar and venular lumen diameters on the SD-OCT image were close to the mean arteriolar and venular diameters obtained from the color fundus photographs. Volume scan method produced better images of retinal vessels showing the fine structures of the vessel wall, and provided reliable retinal vessel structure measurement in zone B with good repeatability and reproducibility.