Morphometrics, a branch of morphology, represents the study of size and shape components of biological form and their variation in the population. Assessment of optic disc morphology is essential in the diagnosis and management of many ophthalmic disorders. Much work has been performed to characterize size-related parameters of the optic disc; however, limited information is available on shape variation in the general population. In contrast to optic disc or cup sizes, which are conceptually meaningful variables with a defined unit of measurement, there are few metric constructs by which to quantify, visualize and interpret variation in optic disc or cup shape. This has significance in ophthalmic diseases with a genetic basis as recent evidence has suggested that optic disc shape may be heritable. Conventional optic disc shape measures of 'ovality' and 'form-factor' reduce a complex structure to a single number and eliminate information of potential diagnostic relevance from further analyses. The recent advent of 'geometric morphometrics', a branch of statistics that incorporates tools from geometry, biometrics and computer graphics in the quantitative analysis of biological forms, has enabled spatial relationships in shape data to be retained during analysis. The analytical methods employed in geometric morphometrics can be separated into two distinct groups: landmark-based (e.g. Procrustes analysis, thin-plate splines) and boundary outline techniques (e.g. Fourier analysis). In this review, we summarize current approaches to the study of optic disc morphology, discuss the underlying theory of geometric morphometrics within the context of analytical techniques and then explore the contemporary relevance of the subject matter to several biological fields. Finally we illustrate the potential application of geometric morphometrics to the specific problem of optic disc shape and glaucoma assessment. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optic disc morphology - Rethinking shape / P. G., Sanfilippo; Cardini, Andrea Luigi; A. W., Hewitt; J. G., Crowston; D. A., Mackey. - In: PROGRESS IN RETINAL AND EYE RESEARCH. - ISSN 1350-9462. - STAMPA. - 28:(2009), pp. 227-248. [10.1016/j.preteyeres.2009.05.004]

Optic disc morphology - Rethinking shape

CARDINI, Andrea Luigi;
2009

Abstract

Morphometrics, a branch of morphology, represents the study of size and shape components of biological form and their variation in the population. Assessment of optic disc morphology is essential in the diagnosis and management of many ophthalmic disorders. Much work has been performed to characterize size-related parameters of the optic disc; however, limited information is available on shape variation in the general population. In contrast to optic disc or cup sizes, which are conceptually meaningful variables with a defined unit of measurement, there are few metric constructs by which to quantify, visualize and interpret variation in optic disc or cup shape. This has significance in ophthalmic diseases with a genetic basis as recent evidence has suggested that optic disc shape may be heritable. Conventional optic disc shape measures of 'ovality' and 'form-factor' reduce a complex structure to a single number and eliminate information of potential diagnostic relevance from further analyses. The recent advent of 'geometric morphometrics', a branch of statistics that incorporates tools from geometry, biometrics and computer graphics in the quantitative analysis of biological forms, has enabled spatial relationships in shape data to be retained during analysis. The analytical methods employed in geometric morphometrics can be separated into two distinct groups: landmark-based (e.g. Procrustes analysis, thin-plate splines) and boundary outline techniques (e.g. Fourier analysis). In this review, we summarize current approaches to the study of optic disc morphology, discuss the underlying theory of geometric morphometrics within the context of analytical techniques and then explore the contemporary relevance of the subject matter to several biological fields. Finally we illustrate the potential application of geometric morphometrics to the specific problem of optic disc shape and glaucoma assessment. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
2009
28
227
248
Optic disc morphology - Rethinking shape / P. G., Sanfilippo; Cardini, Andrea Luigi; A. W., Hewitt; J. G., Crowston; D. A., Mackey. - In: PROGRESS IN RETINAL AND EYE RESEARCH. - ISSN 1350-9462. - STAMPA. - 28:(2009), pp. 227-248. [10.1016/j.preteyeres.2009.05.004]
P. G., Sanfilippo; Cardini, Andrea Luigi; A. W., Hewitt; J. G., Crowston; D. A., Mackey
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
2009 sanfilippo et al gmm od review.pdf

Accesso riservato

Tipologia: Altro
Dimensione 925.5 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
925.5 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
Pubblicazioni consigliate

Licenza Creative Commons
I metadati presenti in IRIS UNIMORE sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, mentre i file delle pubblicazioni sono rilasciati con licenza Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale (CC BY 4.0), salvo diversa indicazione.
In caso di violazione di copyright, contattare Supporto Iris

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/690320
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 12
  • Scopus 49
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 42
social impact