The reliability of retinal nerve fiber layer analysis to differentiate between papilledema and pseudopapilledema: A systematic review

Differentiating between papilledema and pseudopapilledema can be challenging in certain cases. Relying solely on subjective clinical examination may lead to confusion, and objective diagnostic confirmation methods may pose challenges such as cost, operator dependency, invasiveness or limited availab...

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Main Authors: Lourisa Ruth Eldinia, Rona Ali Badjrai, Lazuardiah Anandi, Fierda Ovita Azhari, Erika Anggraini, Brigitta Marcia, Syntia Nusanti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-06-01
Series:Indian Journal of Ophthalmology
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/IJO.IJO_3364_23
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author Lourisa Ruth Eldinia
Rona Ali Badjrai
Lazuardiah Anandi
Fierda Ovita Azhari
Erika Anggraini
Brigitta Marcia
Syntia Nusanti
author_facet Lourisa Ruth Eldinia
Rona Ali Badjrai
Lazuardiah Anandi
Fierda Ovita Azhari
Erika Anggraini
Brigitta Marcia
Syntia Nusanti
author_sort Lourisa Ruth Eldinia
collection DOAJ
description Differentiating between papilledema and pseudopapilledema can be challenging in certain cases. Relying solely on subjective clinical examination may lead to confusion, and objective diagnostic confirmation methods may pose challenges such as cost, operator dependency, invasiveness or limited availability. This study seeks to assess whether retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) analysis can serve as a reliable measurement for establishing the diagnosis. A thorough literature search was conducted on PubMed, ProQuest, Google Scholar and Cochrane from 2012 to 2023, with the last search conducted on March 26, 2023. Non-English studies, review articles, case studies and editorial letters were excluded. The inclusion criteria comprised studies with available full text containing both papilledema and pseudopapilledema groups, with outcomes on sensitivity, specificity and/or area under the curve (AUC). This study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. A total of 510 participants were included from seven different studies, all encompassing groups of papilledema and pseudopapilledema with or without optic disc drusen (ODD). The studies demonstrated the favorable accuracy of RNFL in differentiating papilledema from pseudopapilledema, with AUC values ranging from 0.78 to 0.91. However, specificity and sensitivity varied between 65%–100% and 33%–91%, respectively. Lower accuracy was observed when pseudopapilledema included only patients with ODD or when papilledema was limited to mild cases. In conclusion, RNFL proves to be a reliable measurement for differentiating papilledema from pseudopapilledema.
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spelling doaj-art-9b06c61fdfee4ad8a2d975deca5b3c382025-08-20T03:31:26ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Ophthalmology0301-47381998-36892025-06-0173679279610.4103/IJO.IJO_3364_23The reliability of retinal nerve fiber layer analysis to differentiate between papilledema and pseudopapilledema: A systematic reviewLourisa Ruth EldiniaRona Ali BadjraiLazuardiah AnandiFierda Ovita AzhariErika AnggrainiBrigitta MarciaSyntia NusantiDifferentiating between papilledema and pseudopapilledema can be challenging in certain cases. Relying solely on subjective clinical examination may lead to confusion, and objective diagnostic confirmation methods may pose challenges such as cost, operator dependency, invasiveness or limited availability. This study seeks to assess whether retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) analysis can serve as a reliable measurement for establishing the diagnosis. A thorough literature search was conducted on PubMed, ProQuest, Google Scholar and Cochrane from 2012 to 2023, with the last search conducted on March 26, 2023. Non-English studies, review articles, case studies and editorial letters were excluded. The inclusion criteria comprised studies with available full text containing both papilledema and pseudopapilledema groups, with outcomes on sensitivity, specificity and/or area under the curve (AUC). This study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. A total of 510 participants were included from seven different studies, all encompassing groups of papilledema and pseudopapilledema with or without optic disc drusen (ODD). The studies demonstrated the favorable accuracy of RNFL in differentiating papilledema from pseudopapilledema, with AUC values ranging from 0.78 to 0.91. However, specificity and sensitivity varied between 65%–100% and 33%–91%, respectively. Lower accuracy was observed when pseudopapilledema included only patients with ODD or when papilledema was limited to mild cases. In conclusion, RNFL proves to be a reliable measurement for differentiating papilledema from pseudopapilledema.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/IJO.IJO_3364_23diagnostic tooloptical coherence tomographretinal nerve fiber layerpapilledemapseudopapilledema
spellingShingle Lourisa Ruth Eldinia
Rona Ali Badjrai
Lazuardiah Anandi
Fierda Ovita Azhari
Erika Anggraini
Brigitta Marcia
Syntia Nusanti
The reliability of retinal nerve fiber layer analysis to differentiate between papilledema and pseudopapilledema: A systematic review
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology
diagnostic tool
optical coherence tomograph
retinal nerve fiber layer
papilledema
pseudopapilledema
title The reliability of retinal nerve fiber layer analysis to differentiate between papilledema and pseudopapilledema: A systematic review
title_full The reliability of retinal nerve fiber layer analysis to differentiate between papilledema and pseudopapilledema: A systematic review
title_fullStr The reliability of retinal nerve fiber layer analysis to differentiate between papilledema and pseudopapilledema: A systematic review
title_full_unstemmed The reliability of retinal nerve fiber layer analysis to differentiate between papilledema and pseudopapilledema: A systematic review
title_short The reliability of retinal nerve fiber layer analysis to differentiate between papilledema and pseudopapilledema: A systematic review
title_sort reliability of retinal nerve fiber layer analysis to differentiate between papilledema and pseudopapilledema a systematic review
topic diagnostic tool
optical coherence tomograph
retinal nerve fiber layer
papilledema
pseudopapilledema
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/IJO.IJO_3364_23
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