Optical Coherence Tomography Biomarkers in the Follow up of Mild Diabetic Retinopathy

Alberto Piatti

Citation: Alberto Piatti, "Optical Coherence Tomography Biomarkers in the Follow up of Mild Diabetic Retinopathy", Universal Library of Medical and Health Sciences, Volume 03, Issue 02.

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading complication of diabetes with a prevalence of 30% and if not diagnosed timely can cause important vision loss up to blindness. Systematic screening allows diagnosis of retinopathy in its early forms. Taking care of these patients by ophthalmologists is important to perform a tight control in order to prevent or delay sight threatening diabetic retinopathy. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging provides significant biomarkers for the follow up of the initial stages of retinopathy. The purpose of this study is to assess their effectiveness in clinical practice especially in clinical pathway performed in Primary Care Setting Methods: A sample of 58 consecutives patients (106 eyes) with mild diabetic retinopathy, coming from digital screening with automatic fundus cameras, were enrolled in this observational study. High definition SD-OCT was performed with a tomographic scan of 6X 6 mm centered to the fovea. We assessed quantitative biomarkers such Central Subfield Thickness (CST) and mean cube volume (MV) and qualitative biomarkers as the presence of intraretinal or subfoveal fluid, of microaneurysms, iperreflective foci and the integrity of Ellipsoid Zone Results: The mean CST was 276,25 ± 54,76 µm ( normal range 257-295), also MV was in the normal range. The prevalence rate (95% confidence interval) of borderline CST was 16,34% ( 9,34- 23,34%). The prevalence rate (95% confidence interval) of pathological CST was 5,76% ( 1,76 – 9,76%). Hyper reflective foci were the most frequent qualitative biomarkers. Conclusion: SD- OCT represents the technique of choice for the detection and the follow up of diabetic maculopathy. Even in mild forms, CST and MV are crucial for monitoring macular thickness and detecting early signs of macular edema. Both quantitative and qualitative OCT biomarkers can guide more accurate follow up strategies, enhancing patient care.


Keywords: OCT Biomarkers, Mild Diabetic Retinopathy, Clinical Pathway.

Download doi https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulmhs.2025.0302005