The following is a summary of “Objective quantification of posterior capsule opacification after cataract surgery with swept-source optical coherence tomography,” published in the July 2023 issue of Opthalmology by Zhou et al.

Researchers performed a retrospective study to assess the severity of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and pentacam scheimpflug tomography.

SS-OCT images were used to measure posterior capsule thickness (PCT) using region segmentation and adaptive thresholding. Scheimpflug tomography images were used to measure PCT by obtaining the average gray value. The two methods were compared to evaluate their effectiveness.

The study included 101 patients with 162 intraocular lens IOL eyes and divided them into two groups based on whether they had undergone laser treatment (laser group 65 eyes) and (control group 97 eyes). The laser group had a thicker PCT and a higher gray value of 66±33 pixel units than the control group (5.0±0.9 11±17 pixel unit). The diagnostic performance of SS-OCT PCT and Pentacam gray values were evaluated. SS-OCT PCT demonstrated a sensitivity of 85%, a specificity of 74%, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.942.

Similarly, pentacam gray value showed a sensitivity of 91%, a specificity of 76%, and an AUC of 0.947. Further analysis using a multivariable model called generalized estimation equation revealed significant correlations between the PCO score and SS-OCT PCT, Pentacam gray value, as well as specific dimensions of the low vision quality of life questionnaire (LVQ questionnaire) related to distance vision, mobility, and lighting (P = 0.012, P= 0.001, P= 0.005, respectively).

They concluded posterior capsule image quantification is important for early surgical decision-making. PCO severity worsens with time, typically occurring around 34 months post-surgery.

Source: bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-023-03064-3