Association Between Optical Coherence Tomography Measurements and Clinical Parameters in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

Purpose: To correlate optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements with clinical parameters in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 22 patients with IIH and 11 controls. All participants underwent comprehensive ophthalmological examination followed by spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) and standard automated perimetry using the 30-2 program of the Humphrey visual field analyzer. Correlations between ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, as measured by SD-OCT, and clinical parameters were assessed using generalized estimating equations.

Result: The mean age of the participants was 35.0 ± 10.83 years. The groups were similar regarding age, but were significantly different regarding sex and visual acuity (=0.001 and =0.038, respectively). The GCC was significantly thinner in the IIH group, with a mean of 90.535 ± 9.766 m compared to 98.119 ± 6.988 m for the controls (=0.023). There was a significant association between GCC thickness and optic disc pallor (=0.016) and between edema and visual acuity (=0.037). No significant difference was found in RNFL thickness between patients and controls.

Conclusion: The GCC was thinner in the patients with IIH compared to the controls, and there was an association between GCC and optic disc pallor. This might suggest a role for OCT parameters when the structural changes that occur in IIH are investigated, possibly guiding clinical decision making.