Screening for diabetic retinopathy and optic disc topography with the "retinal thickness analyzer" (RTA) [Screening der diabetischen retinopathie und papillentopographie mit dem "retinal thickness analyzer" (RTA)]

Background. The RTA features a fundus photography mode and optic disc topography. Those two new modes were investigated regarding their clinical use. Methods. First, the combination of wide-field photography with a retinal thickness map was assessed for tele-screening for diabetic retinopathy in 31 eyes. Second, normal values of the optic disc were collected on 30 non-glaucomatous probands in the non-mydriatic mode and compared to the results of the mydriatic mode, for which reproducibility was also investigated. Results. For diabetic retinopathy, the RTA yielded mean 93% sensitivity for proliferative diabetic retinopathy and 100% sensitivity for detecting diabetic macular edema compared to clinical examination at specificities ranging from 58 to 96%. Regarding the measurements of the optic disc, the normal values in mydriasis coincided with those in miosis in all but 4 of 12 parameters. Conclusions. The RTA is suitable for application in tele-screening for diabetic retinopathy. The topography of the optic disc is highly reproducible and may be used for glaucoma diagnostics. © Springer Medizin Verlag 2004.