Purpose: To investigate the anatomic characteristics of congenital excavated optic disc anomalies by using fundus photography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).
Methods: Fourteen eyes from 13 patients with congenital excavated optic disc anomalies underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination that included best-corrected visual acuity evaluation, fundus photography, and SD-OCT. SS-OCT was performed in cases of peripapillary staphyloma cases in which the excavation depth could not be detected with SD-OCT. On the basis of the funduscopic and OCT findings, patients were classified as morning glory syndrome, optic disc coloboma, or peripapillary staphyloma.
Results: Seven eyes with morning glory syndrome were characterized by the presence of the preretinal tractional membrane in front of the excavated optic disc and could be divided into two groups: three eyes without retinal excavation, and four eyes with retinal excavation. Four eyes with optic disc coloboma showed inferiorly decentered scleral excavations with shallow optic disc excavation detectable by SD-OCT. Three eyes with peripapillary staphyloma showed deep excavation, the depth of which could not be detected by SD-OCT. SS-OCT and enhanced depth imaging SD-OCT images focused on the bottom revealed membranous structure at the bottom of the excavation in two cases with peripapillary staphyloma.
Conclusions: SD-OCT and SS-OCT are helpful for differential diagnosis of excavated optic disc anomalies. Morning glory syndrome, optic disc coloboma, and peripapillary staphyloma were respectively characterized by the presence of a preretinal tractional membrane, inferiorly decentered excavation, and an excavation deeper than that observed in morning glory syndrome and optic disc coloboma.