Low rates of optical coherence tomography utilization in the diagnosis and management of retinovascular diseases in a lower middle income economy

Abstract

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is widely used as the standard of care in evaluating macular and retinovascular diseases. However, the degree of OCT utilization is yet to be researched in a resource‑limited country where wide gaps exist in access to healthcare. Aim: To determine the rate of utilization of the OCT in diagnosis, pre‑treatment, and post‑treatment evaluation of macular and retinovascular diseases treated with intravitreal anti‑vascular endothelial growth factor injection (IVI). Patients and Methods: Retrospective, consecutive, and non‑comparative case series of eyes diagnosed and treated from Jan 2017 to Jan 2022 for seven macular and retinovascular diseases in five eye clinics in Nigeria. Data extracted include demographics, indication for IVI, eye treated, use or non‑use of OCT at the diagnosis (pre‑treatment) and after the last IVI (post‑treatment), and central macular thickness (CMT) of pre‑treatment OCT scans. Results: Seven hundred and forty two eyes were diagnosed with retinovascular and macular diseases (389 right eyes and 353 left eyes).The male to female ratio was 430: 312 eyes. The mean age was, 63.89 years (SD 12.58). Four hundred and fifty two eyes (60.9%) had a pre‑treatment OCT, 235 eyes (31.7%) had a post‑treatment OCT, and 190 eyes (25.6%) had both pre‑ and post‑treatment OCTs. The rate of pre‑treatment OCT varied with the diagnosis (P = 0.000); DME had the highest rate, 74.4%, and HRVO had the lowest, 40%. Post‑treatment OCT rate varied with the diagnosis (P = 0.009); non‑AMD CNVM had the highest rate, 49.1%, and PCV had the lowest, 24.6%. Pre‑treatment OCT rate was influenced by clinic location (P = 0.000); higher in clinics having an OCT. Post‑treatment OCT was not influenced by clinic location (P = 0.37). A CRVO eye had the highest maximum CMT (1031 microns) of all the pre treatment eyes and the lowest minimum CMT of all the pre treatment eyes was in a BRVO eye (138 microns). Mean CMT was highest in HRVO (475.33 microns) and lowest in CNVM (307.62 microns). Conclusion: Though OCT is the standard of care for managing retinovascular and macular diseases, this research quantifies the extent of its use in Nigeria and finds it to be low. A post‑treatment OCT rate of 32% suggests that urgent steps are required to improve access to OCT for IVI patients.