SYSTEMATIC CORRELATION OF CENTRAL SUBFIELD THICKNESS WITH RETINAL FLUID VOLUMES QUANTIFIED BY DEEP LEARNING IN THE MAJOR EXUDATIVE MACULAR DISEASES

Purpose: To investigate the correlation of volumetric measurements of intraretinal (IRF) and subretinal fluid obtained by deep learning and central retinal subfield thickness (CSFT) based on optical coherence tomography in retinal vein occlusion, diabetic macular edema, and neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Methods: A previously validated deep learning-based approach was used for automated segmentation of IRF and subretinal fluid in spectral domain optical coherence tomography images. Optical coherence tomography volumes of 2.433 patients obtained from multicenter studies were analyzed. Fluid volumes were measured at baseline and under antivascular endothelial growth factor therapy in the central 1, 3, and 6 mm. Results: Patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration generally demonstrated the weakest association between CSFT and fluid volume measurements in the central 1 mm (0.107-0.569). In patients with diabetic macular edema, IRF correlated moderately with CSFT (0.668-0.797). In patients with retinal vein occlusion, IRF volumes showed a moderate correlation with CSFT (0.603-0.704). Conclusion: The correlation of CSFT and fluid volumes depends on the underlying pathology. Although the amount of central IRF seems to partly drive CSFT in diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusion, it has only a limited impact on patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Our findings do not support the use of CSFT as a primary or secondary outcome measure for the quantification of exudative activity or treatment guidance.

Automated summary

This study investigated the correlation between volumetric measurements of intraretinal and subretinal fluid obtained by deep learning and central retinal subfield thickness based on optical coherence tomography in different retinal diseases. The findings suggest that the correlation of central retinal subfield thickness (CSFT) and fluid volumes depends on the underlying pathology, with limited impact in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.