Abstract
Background To analyze the blood flow changes of radial peripapillary capillaries (RPC) and macula with time procession in patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A).Methods A total of 21 affected eyes and 19 unaffected eyes from 21 NAION patients, and 40 eyes of 20 healthy individuals were included. Assessments of BCVA, CFP, SD-OCT, and OCT-A were performed on NAION patients at enrollment and at 1-2 weeks, 1-2 months, and 3-6 months post-enrollment. Measures of the thickness of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (wRNFL) and macular ganglion cell complex (wGCC) of the whole image in SD-OCT, vessel density of RPC (wRPC) and superficial and deep vascular complexes (wSVD, wDVD) in the whole image of OCT-A, and their superior- and inferior-hemi values (s/iRNFL, s/iGCC, s/iRPC, and s/iSVD) were assessed.Results Compared to healthy controls, wRPC (p<0.001) and wDVD (P=0.001) were significantly lower in affected eyes at baseline, and there was no significant difference in wSVD (p>0.05). The wRPC and wSVD values of affected eyes were significantly decreased at follow-up time points of 1-2 and 3-6 months compared to baseline (p=0.001, p=0.000; p=0.000, p=0.000). The sRPC values were significantly lower than iRPC at 1-2/3-6 months (p=0.001, p=0.000), and sSVD values were lower than iSVD at 1-2 months (p=0.010). Statistically significant correlations were found between wRPC and wRNFL values at 3-6 months (r=0.626, p=0.022), between wSVD and wGCC at 1-2 weeks and 1-2 months (r=0.570, r=0.436; p=0.007, p=0.048).Conclusion OCT-A revealed a sectorial reduction in vessel density in RPC and macula with the disease progression of NAION from acute to atrophic stages, a classification associated with structural deficits.
Optical coherence tomography angiography of optic disc perfusion in non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy
