The linear artifact in enhanced depth imaging spectral domain optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a valuable ancillary test in the diagnosis and management of chorioretinal disease. The evaluation of choroid thickness using OCT has become the focus of clinical applications. We report a linear artifact that acts as a confounding factor in choroidal thickness measurements by enhanced depth imaging OCT. We found that the linear artifact is located stably at a depth of 485 mu m beneath the retinal pigment epithelium in 81.88% of subjects. The study suggested that the linear artifact was a confounding factor in assessing choroidal thickness and that caution should be used in the interpretation of the choroidal thickness, especially when it is approximately 485 mu m.