Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in retinitis pigmentosa and macular dystrophy patients: a retrospective study

Abstract Purpose To evaluate macular vascular abnormalities in patients with macular dystrophies (MD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) through application of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A). Methods In this retrospective study, patients with MD and RP were examined by OCT-A and compared to healthy individuals. OCT-A images were analyzed regarding the diameter and surface area of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) as well as flow (FL) in different retinal layers (superficial vascular complex (SVC), intermediate capillary complex (ICP), deep capillary complex (DCP), choriocapillaris (CC), and choroid (CD)). Results Twenty-one patients with MD, 21 patients with RP without macular edema (RPnE), 8 patients with RP with edema (RPwE), and 41 healthy individuals were enrolled. The group of MD and RPnE patients showed none or only minor changes in FAZ. In RPwE patients, the FAZ was significantly smaller in vertical and horizontal measurements and surface area in SVC, whereas it was markedly enlarged in ICP. FL was significantly reduced compared to healthy individuals by an average of 13.2% in CD, 14.2% in CC, and 8.4% in DCP in all patient groups. In ICP, the reduction was 9.2% for RPnE and 12.7% for RPwE patients. The SVC showed reduced FL in the MD (8.1%) and RPnE (10.3%) group. Conclusions OCT-A is a valuable tool to examine retinal vascular abnormalities in patients with MD and RP. OCT-A revealed a reduced flow in various retinal layers in MD, RPnE, and RPwE. Alterations of the FAZ were less distinct in these groups which add to the variation reported previously.

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Optical coherence tomography angiography findings in patients undergoing transcorneal electrical stimulation for treating retinitis pigmentosa

Graefe s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology ◽

10.1007/s00417-020-04963-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Olga Zabek ◽

Hanna Camenzind Zuche ◽

Ursula Müller ◽

Hendrik P. N. Scholl ◽

Annekatrin Rickmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Optical Coherence Tomography ◽

Electrical Stimulation ◽

Retinitis Pigmentosa ◽

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Vascular Density ◽

Optical Coherence ◽

Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation ◽

Retinal Layers ◽

Perfusion Density

Abstract Purpose Transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) is a novel treatment approach for patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The aim of our study was to observe changes in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) that would be attributed to TES treatment. Methods A total of 73 eyes were included: 43 eyes of 22 subjects (11 ♀, 11 ♂) suffering from RP were examined at baseline (BL), after first stimulation (TS), 1 week (1W), and 6 months (6M) after treatment initiation and were compared with 30 control eyes of 15 subjects (8 ♀, 7 ♂). TES was performed simultaneously on both eyes for 30 min weekly. OCTA scans of 9 × 15 mm were recorded with a PLEX Elite 9000 swept-source OCTA device (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena). Vascular density metrics such as perfusion density (PD) and vessel density (VD) were calculated automatically for the macular area by using standardised extended early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) grids centred around the fovea. In addition, the capillary perfusion density (CPD) and the capillary flux index (CFI) of the peripapillary nerve fibre layer microvasculature in all four quadrants of an annulus centred at the optic disc were measured. All parameters were determined over all retinal layers and separately for the superficial (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP). ANOVA-based linear mixed-effects models were calculated with SPSS®. Results Throughout the course of TES treatment, the macular VD and PD of all retinal layers in all subsections showed a slight decrement without reaching statistical significance, also when analysed separately in the SCP and DCP (p > 0.08). In analogy, the average CPD and CFI also presented with a slight decrement (p > 0.20). However, when compared with controls, most OCTA parameters showed a significant decrement (p < 0.05). When analysed systematically in all subsections of the extended ETDRS grid, the temporal macular subsections within the outer ring (radius 1.5–3 mm) and also of the peripheral C1, C2, and C3 rings (radius 3–7.5 mm) showed lower VD and PD values when compared with the other subsections (p < 0.05). Conclusion Vascular density metrics in the macular region and the peripapillary microvasculature appear to remain unaffected by continuous TES treatment within a period of 6 months.

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Vascular Patterns in Retinitis Pigmentosa on Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm8091425 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 1425 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alessandro Arrigo ◽

Francesco Romano ◽

Giorgia Albertini ◽

Emanuela Aragona ◽

Francesco Bandello ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Optical Coherence Tomography ◽

Retinitis Pigmentosa ◽

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography ◽

Retinal Dystrophy ◽

Vascular Supply ◽

Optical Coherence ◽

Fiber Layer ◽

Swept Source ◽

Vascular Abnormalities ◽

Post Hoc

Background: Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) represents a retinal dystrophy with an extremely complex pathogenesis further worsened by the impairment of the retinal vascular supply. The main goal of this study was to identify different vascular patterns in RP, by means of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Methods: A total of 32 RP patients (16 males, 50%; mean age 45.93 ± 11.4) and 32 healthy age-matched controls (16 males, 50%; age 42.8 ± 11.2). High resolution OCT and OCTA images were obtained from all participants. Several quantitative parameters were extracted both from structural OCT and OCTA images. A post-hoc analysis assessed the relationship between the quantitative OCTA parameters adopted and the following measures: best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL). Results: Mean LogMAR BCVA was 0.24 ± 0.32 for RP patients and 0.0 ± 0.0 for controls (p < 0.01). CMT, choroidal thickness and RNFL were statistically different between RP and controls (p < 0.01). OCTA parameters showed strong alterations of the retinal vascular network in RP (all p < 0.01). Several statistically significant correlations were also found. Furthermore, a vessel tortuosity cut-off of 4.80 and a vessel rarefaction cut-off of 0.62 enabled the RP cohort to be divided into two significantly different sub-groups in terms of BCVA, RNFL and CMT. Conclusions: Quantitative OCTA parameters help identify vascular abnormalities in RP, separating two different vascular patterns.

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Choriocapillaris flow loss in center-involving retinitis pigmentosa: a quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography study using a novel classification system

Graefe s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology ◽

10.1007/s00417-021-05223-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sally S. Ong ◽

T. Y. Alvin Liu ◽

Ximin Li ◽

Mandeep S. Singh

Keyword(s):

Optical Coherence Tomography ◽

Retinitis Pigmentosa ◽

Classification System ◽

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography ◽

Optical Coherence ◽

Flow Loss

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Retinal microcirculation abnormalities in patients with systemic sclerosis: an explorative optical coherence tomography angiography study

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keab258 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Adriano Carnevali ◽

Giuseppe Giannaccare ◽

Valentina Gatti ◽

Caterina Battaglia ◽

Giorgio Randazzo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Optical Coherence Tomography ◽

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography ◽

Flow Index ◽

Digital Ulcers ◽

Optical Coherence ◽

Vascular Abnormalities ◽

Capillary Plexus ◽

Retinal Microcirculation ◽

Vascular Plexuses

Abstract Objectives To investigate subclinical and clinical abnormalities in retinal and choroidal vascular plexuses in patients with SSc by means of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A). Methods A total of 20 consecutive SSc patients were recruited and compared with 20 healthy subjects. Quantitative analysis of vessel density (VD), choriocapillaris plexus flow index (CCP-FI) and choroidal vascularity index were performed on OCT-A images in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP) and CCP for all patients. Images were further reviewed by two independent readers for the assessment of qualitative abnormalities, including tortuosity, rarefaction areas, megacapillaries and macular-foveal capillaries. Results The DCP-VD in the whole scan and in the perifoveal, superior, inferior, nasal and temporal regions was significantly lower in the SSc group. The CCP-FI was significantly higher in SSc patients. When comparing SSc patients with and without digital ulcers, significantly decreased SCP-VD was demonstrated in the whole, perifoveal, superior, inferior, temporal and nasal regions. No difference in any of the OCT-A parameters was observed when comparing patients with and without interstitial lung disease. Qualitative analysis of OCT-A revealed at least one abnormality in 95% of patients. Conclusion We showed the ability of OCT-A to disclose early ocular vascular abnormalities in patients with SSc. Our results may represent a hypothesis-generating basis for exploring the potential role of OCT-A in diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis stratification in SSc.

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