Toggle Main Menu Toggle Search

Open Access padlockePrints

Study protocol: optical coherence tomography angiography for the detection of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a comprehensive multicentre diagnostic accuracy study in the UK-the ATHENA study

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Ashleigh KernohanORCiD, Professor Luke Vale

Downloads


Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ. INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), the leading cause of visual impairment in the developed world, relies on the interpretation of various imaging tests of the retina. These include invasive angiographic methods, such as Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA) and, on occasion, Indocyanine-Green Angiography (ICGA). Newer, non-invasive imaging modalities, predominately Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA), have drastically transformed the diagnostic approach to nAMD. The aim of this study is to undertake a comprehensive diagnostic accuracy assessment of the various imaging modalities used in clinical practice for the diagnosis of nAMD (OCT, OCTA, FFA and, when a variant of nAMD called Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy is suspected, ICGA) both alone and in various combinations. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a non-inferiority, prospective, randomised diagnostic accuracy study of 1067 participants. Participants are patients with clinical features consistent with nAMD who present to a National Health Service secondary care ophthalmology unit in the UK. Patients will undergo OCT as per standard practice and those with suspicious features of nAMD on OCT will be approached for participation in the study. Patients who agree to take part will also undergo both OCTA and FFA (and ICGA if indicated). Interpretation of the imaging tests will be undertaken by clinicians at recruitment sites. A randomised design was selected to avoid bias from consecutive review of all imaging tests by the same clinician. The primary outcome of the study will be the difference in sensitivity and specificity between OCT+OCTA and OCT+FFA (±ICGA) for nAMD detection as interpreted by clinicians at recruitment sites. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the South Central-Oxford B Research Ethics Committee with reference number 21/SC/0412.Dissemination of study results will involve peer-review publications, presentations at major national and international scientific conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN18313457.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Niestrata M, Deeks JJ, Takwoingi Y, Sivaprasad S, Patel PJ, Keane PA, Kernohan A, Vale L, Denniston AK, Gale R, Khan AR, McKinnon W, Agarwal R, de Salvo G, Minos E, Barbeiro P, Chakravarthy U, Waheed NK, Madhusudhan S, Peto T, Balaskas K

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: BMJ Open

Year: 2024

Volume: 14

Issue: 5

Online publication date: 31/05/2024

Acceptance date: 26/05/2023

Date deposited: 18/06/2024

ISSN (print): 2044-6055

ISSN (electronic): 2044-6055

Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group

URL: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-070857

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-070857

PubMed id: 38821570


Altmetrics

Altmetrics provided by Altmetric


Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
National Institute of Health Research, Health Technology Assessment Programme, NIHR131432

Share