Optic Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging tool that that is now regarded as the gold standard for diagnosing both buried and superficial drusen because of its ability to image deeper layers of the retina and optic nerve head.

OCT has become increasingly useful as an adjunctive tool in the detection of optic disc drusen (ODD) and the workup for possible papilledema. ODD must have two key characteristics: They should be above the lamina cribrosa, and they should have a hyporeflective core.

Dec 15, 2015 · When a doctor discovers bilaterally elevated optic nerve heads (ONH), she or he faces a particular diagnostic challenge, especially when that patient is a child. Distinguishing congenital etiologies of optic disc elevation (known as pseudopapilledema) from true papilledema is imperative. True papilledema is a medical emergency.

Optic nerve head drusen are benign acellular calcium concretions that usually form early in life, just anterior to the lamina cribrosa. Improving imaging using optical coherence tomography suggests they are common and may be present in many clinically normal discs.

Dec 30, 2024 · One study found that optical coherence tomography (OCT) with enhanced depth imaging was the most effective technique for detecting buried drusen. It was able to detect the condition 100%...

Mar 28, 2023 · Although enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) used to be the gold standard for ONHD detection, B-scan ultrasonography is invaluable for its evaluation because it reveals elevated and highly reflective calcified drusen at the optic nerve head. 2 This is an important tool, especially if the drusen are buried, because it ...

Sep 5, 2019 · Advanced optic nerve imaging, including optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to diagnose and characterize ODD with very high resolution. Enhanced depth imaging (EDI-OCT) in particular has emerged as the optimal modality to directly visualize ODD.

In recent years, it has been reported that optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination has allowed more detailed evaluation of ODD and yielded useful findings for the differentiation of optic disc edema from ODD. In this review, the role of OCT in the diagnosis of ODD is discussed.

Mar 17, 2025 · Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has revolutionized ODD evaluation by providing high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging of the optic nerve head. Unlike fundoscopy, which relies on surface visualization, OCT precisely localizes drusen and differentiates them from other structural changes.

Optic nerves with drusen showed features in these OCT images that were distinct from cases of papilledema or small optic discs.