Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare anterior chamber depth (ACD) and lens thickness (LT) measurements by ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), A-scan cross vector (CV) overlay with UBM, and immersion A-scan technique in pediatric eyes. METHODS: This prospective comparative cohort study comprised 43 eyes of 25 pediatric participants (mean age: 2.3±2.2 y). UBM and immersion A-scan biometry were performed prior to dilation and intraocular surgery. ACD and LT were measured by UBM image analysis, A-scan CV UBM overlay, and immersion A-scan technique. RESULTS: ACD and LT measurements obtained using immersion A-scan were significantly greater than with UBM image analysis with mean differences of 0.52 mm and 0.62 mm, respectively (p < 0.001). Immersion A-scan and UBM measurements were moderately correlated (r = 0.70 and 0.64, p < 0.001). ACD and LT measurements obtained using CV overlay were not significantly different than UBM measurements and the values were strongly positively correlated (r = 0.95 and 0.93, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Immersion A-scan may overestimate ACD and LT compared to UBM in pediatric patients due to oblique placement of the A-scan probe relative to the optical axis. Supplemental use of UBM and/or CV overlay is indicated to improve measurement accuracy in pediatric patients who cannot reliably fixate due to the ability to confirm proper alignment of the probe with the pupil by visualizing the anterior segment.