Keratoconus Screening With Dynamic Biomechanical In Vivo Scheimpflug Analyses: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Keratectasia severity staging and progression assessment based on the biomechanical E-staging

Until recently, corneal topography has been the gold standard in detecting keratectasia and monitoring its progression. The recently introduced ABCD tomographic keratoconus staging system focuses on anterior ("A") and posterior ("B") radius of curvature, thinnest corneal thickness ("C"), best-corrected visual acuity with spectacles ("D") and is supplemented with the introduction of the biomechanical E-staging (BEST, "E"). The need for biomechanical staging arose from the fact of altered biomechanical characteristics of keratectasia in comparison to healthy corneas. Ectatic corneas usually exhibit a biomechanical weakening and greater deformation than healthy corneas when exposed to a biomechanical stressor such as a standardized air puff indentation as provided by the Corvis ST® (CST, Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany). The BEST is based on the linear term of the Corvis Biomechanical Index (CBI) and provides a biomechanical keratoconus severity staging and progression assessment within the CST software. This review traces the development of the BEST as an addition to the tomographic ABCD staging system and highlights its strengths and limitations when applied in daily practice for the detection, monitoring and progression assessment in keratectasia.

Biomechanical changes following corneal crosslinking in keratoconus patients

PURPOSE

To evaluate the biomechanical and tomographic outcomes of keratoconus patients up to four years after corneal crosslinking (CXL).

METHODS

In this longitudinal retrospective-prospective single-center case series, the preoperative tomographic and biomechanical results from 200 keratoconus eyes of 161 patients undergoing CXL were compared to follow-up examinations at three-months, six-months, one-year, two-years, three-years, and four-years after CXL. Primary outcomes included the Corvis Biomechanical Factor (CBiF) and five biomechanical response parameters obtained from the Corvis ST. Tomographically, the Belin-Ambrósio deviation index (BAD-D) and the maximal keratometry (Kmax) measured by the Pentacam were analyzed. Additionally, Corvis E-staging, the thinnest corneal thickness (TCT), and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were obtained. Primary outcomes were compared using a paired t-test.

RESULTS

The CBiF decreased significantly at the six-month (p < 0.001) and one-year (p < 0.001) follow-ups when compared to preoperative values. E-staging behaved accordingly to the CBiF. Within the two- to four-year follow-ups, the biomechanical outcomes showed no significant differences when compared to preoperative. Tomographically, the BAD-D increased significantly during the first year after CXL with a maximum at six-months (p < 0.001), while Kmax decreased significantly (p < 0.001) and continuously up to four years after CXL. The TCT was lower at all postoperative follow-up visits compared to preoperative, and the BCVA improved.

CONCLUSION

In the first year after CXL, there was a temporary progression in both the biomechanical CBiF and E-staging, as well as in the tomographic analysis. CXL contributes to the stabilization of both the tomographic and biomechanical properties of the cornea up to four years postoperatively.

Advanced Corneal Imaging in Keratoconus: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology

PURPOSE

To review the published literature on the diagnostic capabilities of the newest generation of corneal imaging devices for the identification of keratoconus.

METHODS

Corneal imaging devices studied included tomographic platforms (Scheimpflug photography, OCT) and functional biomechanical devices (imaging an air impulse on the cornea). A literature search in the PubMed database for English language studies was last conducted in February 2023. The search yielded 469 citations, which were reviewed in abstract form. Of these, 147 were relevant to the assessment objectives and underwent full-text review. Forty-five articles met the criteria for inclusion and were assigned a level of evidence rating by the panel methodologist. Twenty-six articles were rated level II, and 19 articles were rated level III. There were no level I evidence studies of corneal imaging for the diagnosis of keratoconus found in the literature. To provide a common cross-study outcome measure, diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were extracted. (A perfect diagnostic test that identifies all cases properly has an AUC of 1.0.) RESULTS: For the detection of keratoconus, sensitivities for all devices and parameters (e.g., anterior or posterior corneal curvature, corneal thickness) ranged from 65% to 100%. The majority of studies and parameters had sensitivities greater than 90%. The AUCs ranged from 0.82 to 1.00, with the majority greater than 0.90. Combined indices that integrated multiple parameters had an AUC in the mid-0.90 range. Keratoconus suspect detection performance was lower with AUCs ranging from 0.66 to 0.99, but most devices and parameters had sensitivities less than 90%.

CONCLUSIONS

Modern corneal imaging devices provide improved characterization of the cornea and are accurate in detecting keratoconus with high AUCs ranging from 0.82 to 1.00. The detection of keratoconus suspects is less accurate with AUCs ranging from 0.66 to 0.99. Parameters based on single anatomic locations had a wide range of AUCs. Studies with combined indices using more data and parameters consistently reported high AUCs.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S)

Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

The application of corneal biomechanical interocular asymmetry for the diagnosis of keratoconus and subclinical keratoconus

Purpose: To evaluate the interocular consistency of biomechanical properties in normal, keratoconus (KC) and subclinical keratoconus (SKC) populations and explore the application of interocular asymmetry values in KC and SKC diagnoses. Methods: This was a retrospective chart-review study of 331 ametropic subjects (control group) and 207 KC patients (KC group, including 94 SKC patients). Interocular consistency was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Interocular asymmetry was compared between the control and KC groups and its correlation with disease severity was analyzed. Three logistic models were constructed using biomechanical monocular parameters and interocular asymmetry values. The diagnostic ability of interocular asymmetry values and the newly established models were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves and calibration curves. Net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were also estimated. Results: The interocular consistency significantly decreased and the interocular asymmetry values increased in KC patients compared with those in control individuals. In addition, the interocular asymmetry values increased with respect to the severity of KC. The binocular assisted biomechanical index (BaBI) had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.998 (97.8% sensitivity, 99.2% specificity; cutoff 0.401), which was statistically higher than that of the Corvis biomechanical index [CBI; AUC = 0.935, p < 0.001 (DeLong's test), 85.6% sensitivity]. The optimized cutoff of 0.163 provided an AUC of 0.996 for SKC with 97.8% sensitivity, which was higher than that of CBI [AUC = 0.925, p < 0.001 (DeLong's test), 82.8% sensitivity]. Conclusion: Biomechanical interocular asymmetry values can reduce the false-negative rate and improve the performance in KC and SKC diagnoses.

Correlation of the Corvis Biomechanical Factor with tomographic parameters in keratoconus

PURPOSE

To investigate the relationship between corneal biomechanics and keratoconus (KC) severity as described by tomographic parameters.

SETTING

University-based German ophthalmology department.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A total of 448 KC corneas of the Homburg Keratoconus Center and 112 healthy corneas (448+112 patients) were examined by Pentacam high-resolution and Corneal Visualization Scheimpflug Technology (Pentacam HR and Corvis ST). The KC population included a wide spectrum of disease severity based on Belin's ABCD classification. Linear regression analysis was performed between the linear term of the Corvis Biomechanical Index (CBI) (CBI beta) and the tomographic values anterior radius of curvature (ARC), posterior radius of curvature (PRC), and thinnest corneal thickness (TCT). A linear transformation of the CBI beta was performed to provide an intuitive scaling, which was referred to as the Corvis Biomechanical Factor (CBiF = -0.24294226 × CBI beta + 6.02). This scaling adjusted the CBI beta to the same scale as posterior corneal curvature (PRC).

RESULTS

There was a high correlation of the CBI beta and its modification, the CBiF, with TCT (Pearson, r = -0.775), ARC (r = -0.835), and PRC (r = -0.839) in the KC population (P < .001). In the control corneas, the correlation between the CBI beta and ARC was weak (r = -0.216, P = .022), not significant (PRC, r = -0.146, P = .125), or moderate (TCT, r = -0.628, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The linear term of the CBI was highly associated with KC severity as defined by corneal tomography. The CBiF represents a new scale based on biomechanical characteristics in KC, which could serve as a basis for a biomechanical KC classification in the future.

Accuracy of new Corvis ST parameters for detecting subclinical and clinical keratoconus eyes in a Chinese population

This study aimed to compare the values of new corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology (Corvis ST) parameters in normal, subclinical keratoconus (SKC) and keratoconus (KC) eyes, and evaluate the diagnostic ability to distinguish SKC and KC eyes from normal eyes. One-hundred normal, 100 SKC and 100 KC eyes were included in the study. Corvis ST parameters containing dynamic corneal response parameters were measured by one ophthalmologist. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic ability of new Corvis ST parameters. The new Corvis ST parameters in KC eyes were different from those in the control and SKC eyes after adjusting for IOP and CCT, and stiffness parameter at the first applanation (SP-A1) and Corvis biomechanical index (CBI) were significantly different between the control and SKC eyes (all P < 0.05). The parameter with the highest diagnostic efficiency was SP-A1 (Youden index = 0.40, AUC = 0.753), followed by CBI (Youden index = 0.38, AUC = 0.703), and Integrated Radius (Youden index = 0.33, AUC = 0.668) in diagnosing SKC from control eyes. New Corvis ST parameters in SKC eyes were significantly different from normal control and KC eyes, and could be considered to distinguish SKC and KC eyes from normal eyes.

Keratoconus Diagnosis: Validation of a Novel Parameter Set Derived from IOP-Matched Scenario

Purpose

Considering that intraocular pressure (IOP) is an important confounding factor in corneal biomechanical evaluation, the notion of matching IOP should be introduced to eliminate any potential bias. This study aimed to assess the capability of a novel parameter set (NPS) derived from IOP-matched scenario to diagnose keratoconus.

Methods

Seventy samples (training set; 35 keratoconus and 35 normal corneas; pairwise matching for IOP) were used to determine NPS by forward logistic regression. A large validation dataset comprising 62 matching samples (31 keratoconus and 31 normal corneas) and 203 unmatching samples (112 keratoconus and 91 normal corneas) was used to evaluate its clinical significance. To further assess its diagnosis capability, NPS was compared with the other two prior biomechanical indexes.

Results

NPS was comprised of three biomechanical parameters, namely, DA Ratio Max 1 mm (DRM1), the first applanation time (AT1), and an energy loading parameter (Eload). NPS was successfully applied to the validation dataset, with a higher accuracy of 96.8% and 95.6% in the IOP-matched and -unmatched scenarios, respectively. More surprisingly, accuracy of NPS was 95.5% in the combined validation, an improvement compared to the two prior biomechanical indexes.

Conclusions

This is the first study taking IOP bias into consideration to determine a biomechanical parameter set. Our study shows that NPS indeed offers comparable performance in keratoconus diagnosis. Translational Relevance. Determining a parameter set after eliminating the influence from IOP is useful in revealing the essential differences between keratoconus and normal corneas and possibly facilitating further progress in keratoconus diagnosis.

Correlation Between Corneal Biomechanical Indices and the Severity of Keratoconus

PURPOSE

To investigate the correlations between the biomechanical indices determined in Scheimpflug-based corneal biomechanical assessments and the severity of keratoconus (KC) based on corneal tomographic assessments in patients with different stages of KC.

METHODS

Fifty-three patients who presented with clinical KC in 1 eye and KC suspect in the fellow eye were included. Corneal tomographic and biomechanical assessments were performed using the Pentacam HR and Corvis ST (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany). Correlations between the tomographic indices and biomechanical indices were assessed, including the anterior radius of curvature (ARC) and posterior radius of curvature (PRC) at a 3.0-mm optical zone and the thinnest pachymetry (Tmin), deformation amplitude ratio max 2 mm (DAR2mm), integrated radius, stiffness parameter at the first applanation, and linear Corvis Biomechanical Index (beta).

RESULTS

DAR2mm correlated negatively with ARC (R = -0.722), PRC (R = -0.677), and Tmin (R= -0.650) (P < 0.001 for all). Integrated radius correlated negatively with ARC (R = -0.700), PRC (R = -0.668), and Tmin (R= -0.648) (P < 0.001 for all). Stiffness parameter at the first applanation correlated positively with ARC (R = 0.622), PRC (R = 0.601), and Tmin (R = 0.703) (P < 0.001 for all). The Corvis Biomechanical Index beta correlated negatively with ARC (R = -0.754), PRC (R = -0.755), and Tmin (R= -0.765) (P < 0.001 for all).

CONCLUSIONS

Corneal biomechanical indices correlated with corneal tomographic parameters in patients with KC. These findings support the possibility of developing biomechanical-based staging classification for KC in combination with topographic or tomographic indices.

Robust keratoconus detection with Bayesian network classifier for Placido-based corneal indices

PURPOSE

To evaluate in a sample of normal and keratoconic eyes a simple Bayesian network classifier for keratoconus identification that uses previously developed topographic indices, calculated directly from the digital analysis of the Placido ring images.

METHODS

A comparative study was performed on a total of 60 eyes from 60 patients (age 20-60 years) from the Department of keratoconus of INVISION Ophthalmology clinic (Almería, Spain). Patients were divided into two groups depending on their preliminary diagnosis based on the classical topographic criteria: a control group without topographic alteration (30 eyes) and a keratoconus group (30 eyes). The keratoconus group included all grades except grade IV with excessively distorted corneal topography. All cases were examined using the CSO topography system (CSO, Firenze, Italy), and primary corneal Placido-indices were computed, as described in literature. Finally, a classifier was built by fitting a conditional linear Gaussian Bayesian network to the data, using the 5- and 10-fold cross-validation. For comparison, the original data were perturbed with random white noise of different magnitude.

RESULTS

The naïve Bayes classifier showed perfect discrimination ability among normal and keratoconic corneas, with 100% of sensibility and specificity, even in the presence of a very significant noise.

CONCLUSIONS

The Bayesian network classifiers are highly accurate and proved a stable screening method to assist ophthalmologists with the detection of keratoconus, even in the presence of noise or incomplete data. This algorithm is easily implemented for any Placido topographic system.

Early Diagnosis of Keratoconus in Chinese Myopic Eyes by Combining Corvis ST with Pentacam

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate and compare the sensitivity and specificity of the Belin/Ambrósio Deviation (BADD), Corneal Biomechanical Index (CBI) and Tomographic and Biomechanical Index (TBI) for the diagnosis of keratoconus in Chinese myopic eyes prior to undergoing corneal refractive surgery.Methods: A total of 125 patients (185 eyes) planned to undergo corneal refractive surgery were selected from the Refractive Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital between December 2017 and December 2018. They were divided into four groups: the normal group, bilateral keratoconus (BK) group, unilateral keratoconus (UK) group, and the forme fruste keratoconus (FFK) group. After determining the BADD, CBI, and TBI for each eye using the Corvis ST combined with Pentacam, the sensitivity and specificity of these three indices in diagnosing keratoconus were analyzed through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results: The TBI exhibited the highest diagnostic efficiency in normal vs. UK (area under the ROC curve [AUROC]: 0.992), normal vs. UK+BK (AUROC: 0.988), normal vs. UK+BK* (*stand randomly selecting one eye of each patient in BK group) (AUROC: 0.982), normal vs. UK+BK+FFK (AUROC: 0.965), and normal vs. UK+BK*+FFK (AUROC: 0.953). The CBI demonstrated the highest diagnostic efficiency in normal vs. FFK (AUROC: 0.897). Finally, the BADD showed the highest diagnostic efficiency in normal vs. BK (AUROC: 0.998) and normal vs. BK* (AUROC: 0.996).Conclusion: The BADD, CBI, and TBI performed well in diagnosing keratoconus in Chinese myopic eyes. The CBI showed the highest diagnostic efficiency compared with normal for FFK. In addition, the TBI offered the greatest accuracy in detecting keratoconus and FFK eyes vs. the other parameters.

Spatially-resolved Brillouin spectroscopy reveals biomechanical abnormalities in mild to advanced keratoconus in vivo

Mounting evidence connects the biomechanical properties of tissues to the development of eye diseases such as keratoconus, a disease in which the cornea thins and bulges into a conical shape. However, measuring biomechanical changes in vivo with sufficient sensitivity for disease detection has proven challenging. Here, we demonstrate the diagnostic potential of Brillouin light-scattering microscopy, a modality that measures longitudinal mechanical modulus in tissues with high measurement sensitivity and spatial resolution. We have performed a study of 85 human subjects (93 eyes), consisting of 47 healthy volunteers and 38 keratoconus patients at differing stages of disease, ranging from stage I to stage IV. The Brillouin data in vivo reveal increasing biomechanical inhomogeneity in the cornea with keratoconus progression and biomechanical asymmetry between the left and right eyes at the onset of keratoconus. The receiver operating characteristic analysis of the stage-I patient data indicates that mean Brillouin shift of the cone performs better than corneal thickness and maximum curvature respectively. In conjunction with morphological patterns, Brillouin microscopy may add value for diagnosis of keratoconus and potentially for screening subjects at risk of complications prior to laser eye surgeries.

Tomographic and Biomechanical Scheimpflug Imaging for Keratoconus Characterization: A Validation of Current Indices

PURPOSE

To analyze the potential benefit of the newly developed Tomography and Biomechanical Index (TBI) for early keratoconus screening.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, the discriminatory power of the corneal tomography Belin/Ambrósio Enhanced Ectasia Display (BAD-D) index and the newly developed Corvis Biomechanical Index (CBI) and TBI to differentiate between normal eyes, manifest keratoconus eyes (KCE), very asymmetric keratoconus eyes with ectasia (VAE-E), and their fellow eyes with either regular topography (VAE-NT) or regular topography and tomography (VAE-NTT) were analyzed by applying the t test (for normal distribution), Wilcoxon matched-pairs test (if not normally distributed), and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The DeLong test was used to compare the area under the ROC (AUROC). Further, the cut-offs of the analyzed indices presented in a study by Ambrósio et al. from 2017 were applied in the study population to enable a cross-validation in an independent study population.

RESULTS

All indices demonstrated a high discriminative power when comparing normal and advanced keratoconus, which decreased when comparing normal and VAE-NT eyes and further when analyzing normal versus VAE-NTT eyes. The difference between the AUROCs reached a statistically significant level when comparing TBI versus BAD-D analyzing normal versus all included keratoconic eyes (P = .02). The TBI presented with the highest AUROCs throughout all conducted analyses when comparing different keratoconus stages, although not reaching a statistically significant level. Applying the cut-offs presented by Ambrósio et al. to differentiate between normal and VAE-NT in the study population, the accuracy was reproducible (accuracy in our study population with an optimized TBI cut-off: 0.72, with the cut-off defined by Ambrósio et al. 0.67).

CONCLUSIONS

The TBI enables karatoconus screening in topographical and tomographical regular keratoconic eyes. To further improve the screening accuray, prospective studies should be conducted. [J Refract Surg. 2018;34(12):840-847.].

Anterior Segment Biometry and Their Correlation with Corneal Biomechanics in Caucasian Children

PURPOSE

To assess the relationship between the corneal biomechanical parameters and the anterior segment parameters in Caucasian children.

METHODS

This study included 293 eyes from 293 healthy children aged between 6 and 17 years. Corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF) were evaluated with the Ocular Response Analyzer, axial length (AL) with IOLMaster and the anterior segment with Pentacam. Anterior segment parameters obtained were the following: central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal volume (CV), anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber volume (ACV) and mean anterior and posterior keratometry. Two multiple linear regression models were constructed to assess the association between CH and CRF with anterior segment parameters. A value of p < 0.05 was taken as the criterion for statistical significance in all analyses.

RESULTS

The mean CH and CRF were 12.12 ± 1.71 and 12.30 ± 1.89 mmHg, respectively. Multiple linear regression revealed that CH and CRF were associated negatively with AL in both models, and positively with CCT and CV in the first and second model, respectively. Meanwhile ACD, ACV or mean keratometry did not correlated with CH and CRF. Moreover, when CCT was in the model, it explained more variability for both CH (22.1%) and CRF (30.9%) than when CV was included (16.2% for CH and 16.5% for CRF).

CONCLUSIONS

CH and CRF were correlated positively with CCT and CV, and negatively with AL in healthy Caucasian children. Moreover, corneal parameters were the most contributory variables to CH and CRF changes.

Changes in Corneal Biomechanics and Intraocular Pressure Following Cataract Surgery

PURPOSE

To investigate the effects of cataract surgery on corneal biomechanics and intraocular pressure (IOP) measured with the updated Corvis ST tonometer (CST).

DESIGN

Prospective, interventional case series study.

METHODS

This study included 39 eyes of 39 cataract patients. CST measurements were performed at presurgery (Pre) as well as 1 week (1W), 1 month (1M), and 3 months (3M) postsurgery. The following CST parameters were recorded: deformation amplitude max (DA max), DA ratio max 1 mm and 2 mm, integrated radius, stiffness parameter at applanation 1 (SP A1), Ambrosio relational thickness to the horizontal profile (ARTh), Corvis biomechanical index (CBI), central corneal thickness (CCT), noncorrected intraocular pressure (IOPnct), and biomechanically corrected IOP (bIOP). IOP was also measured with Goldmann applanation tonometry and the noncontact tonometer CT-90A. All measurements were compared at each period using the linear mixed model, with and without adjustment for bIOP and CCT.

RESULTS

All IOP measurements decreased over time (P < .01). CCT was increased at 1W and 3M (P < .01), whereas ARTh was decreased at 1W and 1M (P < .01), but returned to its Pre level at 3M. DA max and Integrated radius were increased at 3M (P < .01), whereas SP A1 was decreased at 3M (P < .01). CBI was increased at 1W (P < .01), but returned to its Pre level at 1M.

CONCLUSIONS

IOP and Corneal biomechanical properties are changed after cataract surgery. In particular, SP A1 decreases while DA max and integrated radius increase, even at 3M, suggesting a less stiff cornea.