Abstract
PURPOSE: Retinal astrocytic hamartomas (RAHs) are benign tumors that are mostly associated with a rare systemic disorder called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). In the clinical diagnosis of TSC, RAH has been recognized as a major feature that supports a definite diagnosis. Here, 60 patients (120 eyes) with TSC underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination and multimodality imaging using fundus photographs, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and infrared images. METHODS: Admission SD-OCT data were retrieved and utilized for analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to calculate the cutoff value. RESULTS: A total of 117 hamartomas were detected in 45 patients, with a mean age of 12 years. On OCT imaging, RAHs appeared as gentle or protruding lesions of varying heights (mean thickness 314 mm, ranging between 71 and 974 mm). CONCLUSION: For RAHs that could not be detected on fundus photographs or by ophthalmoscopy, OCT demonstrated excellent capability in revealing these lesions, particularly smaller tumors (MT < 271 mm). These results suggest that OCT can improve the detection of hamartomas and contribute to the diagnosis of TSC.