Correlation Of Epithelial Parameters Measured By Optical Coherence Tomography With Anterior Corneal Curvature In Eyes With Keratoconus
Published 2026 - 44th Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: FP06.08 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/zz0c-y140
Authors: Mr Vanja Godjevac* 1 , A/Prof. Ramin Khoramnia 2 , Dr Robert Herber 2 , A/Prof. Frederik Raiskup 2 , Mr Felix Lochmann 2 , Ms Aisha Ahsan 2 , Mr Lars Mackenbrock 2 , Mr Stephan Arnhold 2 , Mr Tadas Naujokaitis 2
1Department of Ophthalmology,Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden,Dresden,Germany;Department of Ophthalmology,Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden,Dresden,Germany, 2Department of Ophthalmology,Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden,Dresden,Germany
Purpose
Measurement of epithelial thickness has gained increasing importance in the diagnosis of keratoconus, particularly in the early detection of subclinical forms of the disease. However, it remains unclear which epithelial parameters are best suited to assess disease severity. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between various epithelial parameters and the maximum keratometry (Kmax) of the anterior corneal surface in patients with keratoconus.
Setting
Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Department of Ophthalmology, Dresden, Germany
Methods
This monocentric cross-sectional study included 60 eyes (one eye per patient, randomized) with diagnosed keratoconus. Epithelial thickness was measured using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (Anterion, Heidelberg Engineering). The resulting epithelial thickness maps were divided into 41 zones. The mean epithelial thickness differences between individual zones and their adjacent zones (inter-zonal epithelial thickness differences) were calculated, as well as the standard deviation of the mean epithelial thickness across all zones. The correlation of these parameters with Kmax was analyzed using Pearson correlation; a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results
Inter-zonal epithelial thickness differences in the nasal-inferior, paracentral-superior, and temporal-superior regions showed a statistically significant and strong correlation with Kmax (correlation coefficients R = 0.728, 0.711, and 0.704, respectively; all p < 0.01). The standard deviation of the mean epithelial thickness also demonstrated a statistically significant and strong correlation with Kmax (R = 0.611, p < 0.01). In contrast, the inter-zonal epithelial thickness differences in the temporal-inferior region—typically associated with early ectatic changes—did not show a statistically significant correlation with Kmax (R = 0.132; p = 0.31).
Conclusions
Inter-zonal epithelial thickness differences in the nasal-inferior, paracentral-superior, and temporal-superior regions, as well as the standard deviation of the mean epithelial thickness, show a strong correlation with Kmax and may therefore serve as potential markers for assessing the severity of keratoconus.