Validating the utility of the Kestenbaum number in various types of optic atrophy

Background: Kestenbaum number (KN) is the count of capillaries on the optic disc surface and a number <6 denotes optic atrophy (OA). Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 35 cases of OA who underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination, calculation of the KN fo...

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Main Authors: Madhurima A. Nayak, Sagar Agarwal, Akshata Charlotte, Krishna Vaitheeswaran, N. Srikant
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology and Research
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Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jcor.jcor_27_25
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author Madhurima A. Nayak
Sagar Agarwal
Akshata Charlotte
Krishna Vaitheeswaran
N. Srikant
author_facet Madhurima A. Nayak
Sagar Agarwal
Akshata Charlotte
Krishna Vaitheeswaran
N. Srikant
author_sort Madhurima A. Nayak
collection DOAJ
description Background: Kestenbaum number (KN) is the count of capillaries on the optic disc surface and a number <6 denotes optic atrophy (OA). Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 35 cases of OA who underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination, calculation of the KN following fundus photography, visual field analysis, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Visual acuity was recorded as a logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR). The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation. Results: Sixty three eyes of 35 patients had optic atrophy. The average age of presentation was 47.37 ± 13.34 years. Primary OA was the most common morphological type of OA, and pituitary tumor was the most common cause of the same. The differences in average age, logMAR, grade of disc pallor, and KN among various types of OA were not statistically significant. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between KN and logMAR and the grade of disc pallor. Furthermore, KN correlated well with retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and ganglion cell thickness by OCT. There was no significant correlation between KN and visual field parameters. Conclusion: KN is a reliable indicator of the grade of OA. However, it does not aid in differentiating morphological types of OA.
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spelling doaj-art-9f92ac451c674c5d926f6791830bf6b12025-08-20T03:40:51ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Clinical Ophthalmology and Research2320-38972320-39002025-07-0113329530110.4103/jcor.jcor_27_25Validating the utility of the Kestenbaum number in various types of optic atrophyMadhurima A. NayakSagar AgarwalAkshata CharlotteKrishna VaitheeswaranN. SrikantBackground: Kestenbaum number (KN) is the count of capillaries on the optic disc surface and a number <6 denotes optic atrophy (OA). Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 35 cases of OA who underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination, calculation of the KN following fundus photography, visual field analysis, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Visual acuity was recorded as a logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR). The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation. Results: Sixty three eyes of 35 patients had optic atrophy. The average age of presentation was 47.37 ± 13.34 years. Primary OA was the most common morphological type of OA, and pituitary tumor was the most common cause of the same. The differences in average age, logMAR, grade of disc pallor, and KN among various types of OA were not statistically significant. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between KN and logMAR and the grade of disc pallor. Furthermore, KN correlated well with retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and ganglion cell thickness by OCT. There was no significant correlation between KN and visual field parameters. Conclusion: KN is a reliable indicator of the grade of OA. However, it does not aid in differentiating morphological types of OA.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jcor.jcor_27_25capillarieskestenbaum numberoptic atrophyoptical coherence tomography
spellingShingle Madhurima A. Nayak
Sagar Agarwal
Akshata Charlotte
Krishna Vaitheeswaran
N. Srikant
Validating the utility of the Kestenbaum number in various types of optic atrophy
Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology and Research
capillaries
kestenbaum number
optic atrophy
optical coherence tomography
title Validating the utility of the Kestenbaum number in various types of optic atrophy
title_full Validating the utility of the Kestenbaum number in various types of optic atrophy
title_fullStr Validating the utility of the Kestenbaum number in various types of optic atrophy
title_full_unstemmed Validating the utility of the Kestenbaum number in various types of optic atrophy
title_short Validating the utility of the Kestenbaum number in various types of optic atrophy
title_sort validating the utility of the kestenbaum number in various types of optic atrophy
topic capillaries
kestenbaum number
optic atrophy
optical coherence tomography
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jcor.jcor_27_25
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