scholarly journals Quantitative changes in the ageing choriocapillaris as measured by swept source optical coherence tomography angiography

2018 ◽  
Vol 103 (9) ◽  
pp. 1320-1326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Sacconi ◽  
Enrico Borrelli ◽  
Eleonora Corbelli ◽  
Luigi Capone ◽  
Alessandro Rabiolo ◽  
...  

AimTo analyse quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) parameters of choriocapillaris (CC) at the foveal, perifoveal and parafoveal regions in healthy subjects of different age.MethodsIn this observational cross-sectional study, consecutive healthy subjects underwent swept source OCTA (PLEX Elite 9000, Carl Zeiss Meditec, USA). 3×3 mm and 6×6 mm scans centred on the fovea were acquired analysed and postprocessed with thresholding and binarisation processes. The main outcome measures included CC quantitative OCTA features (perfusion density (PD), vessel length density (VLD) and vessel diameter index (VDI)) at the foveal, perifoveal and parafoveal regions, and their relationship with age.ResultsSeventy-two eyes (72 patients, mean age 47.4±19.2 years, mean axial length 24.0±0.7 mm) were included. The mean PD was statistically lower in the foveal region compared with the parafoveal region in 3×3 mm scans (p=0.009). In subjects aged 70–80, PD of the foveal region was significantly reduced compared with the perifoveal region in 6×6 mm scans (p=0.008). A strong negative correlation was found between PD and ageing in the foveal, parafoveal and perifoveal regions (p<0.001 in all analyses). Furthermore, PD in the nasal-perifoveal region was significantly lower than the temporal-perifoveal region (p=0.005). No significant correlation was found between VLD and age in all regions, whereas VDI was strictly correlated with age (p<0.001).ConclusionsWe reported in vivo a strong negative correlation between PD and ageing in the CC of healthy subjects. This reduction seems related to a reduced diameter, and not to a reduced number, of capillaries. The age-related changes were higher in the central area compared with the perifoveal area.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2658
Author(s):  
Alexis Khorrami Kashi ◽  
Eric Souied ◽  
Selim Fares ◽  
Enrico Borrelli ◽  
Vittorio Capuano ◽  
...  

We evaluated the spectrum of choriocapillaris (CC) abnormalities in the fellow eyes of unilateral exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA). Fellow eyes of unilateral exudative AMD patients were prospectively included between May 2018 and October 2018. Patients underwent a multimodal imaging including a SS-OCTA. Demographics and clinical findings were analyzed. The estimated prevalence of macular neovascularization (MNV) was computed. Number and size of flow deficits (FDs) and percentage of flow deficits (FD%) were computed on the compensated CC flow images with the Fiji software. We included 97 eyes of 97 patients (mean age was 80 ± 7.66 years, 39 males, 58 females). The prevalence of MNV in the studied eyes was 8.25% (8/97 eyes). In the 89 non-neovascular eyes, FD% averaged 45.84% ± 11.63%, with a corresponding total area of FDs of 4.19 ± 1.12 mm2. There was a higher prevalence of drusenoid pigment epithelial detachment in eyes with subclinical neovascularization (p = 0.021). Fellow eyes with unilateral exudative AMD encompassed a series of CC abnormalities, from FDs of the aging CC to subclinical non-exudative MNV.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243830
Author(s):  
Yining Dai ◽  
Hao Zhou ◽  
Qinqin Zhang ◽  
Zhongdi Chu ◽  
Lisa C. Olmos de Koo ◽  
...  

Purpose To quantitatively assess choriocapillaris (CC) flow deficits in eyes with diabetic retinopathy (DR) using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA). Methods Diabetic subjects with different stages of DR and age-matched healthy subjects were recruited and imaged with SS-OCTA. The en face CC blood flow images were generated using previously published and validated algorithms. The percentage of CC flow deficits (FD%) and the mean CC flow deficit size were calculated in a 5-mm-diameter circle centered on the fovea from the 6×6-mm scans. Results Forty-five diabetic subjects and 27 control subjects were included in the study. The CC FD% in diabetic eyes was on average 1.4-fold greater than in control eyes (12.34±4.14% vs 8.82±2.61%, P < 0.001). The mean CC FD size in diabetic eyes was on average 1.4-fold larger than in control eyes (2151.3± 650.8μm2 vs 1574.4±255.0 μm2, P < 0.001). No significant difference in CC FD% or mean CC FD size was observed between eyes with nonproliferative DR and eyes with proliferative DR (P = 1.000 and P = 1.000, respectively). Conclusions CC perfusion in DR can be objectively and quantitatively assessed with FD% and FD size. In the macular region, both CC FD% and CC FD size are increased in eyes with DR. SS-OCTA provides new insights for the investigations of CC perfusion status in diabetes in vivo.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Mastropasqua ◽  
Luca Di Antonio ◽  
Silvio Di Staso ◽  
Luca Agnifili ◽  
Angela Di Gregorio ◽  
...  

Purpose. To assess the ability of optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCT-A) to show and analyze retinal vascular patterns and the choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in retinal vascular diseases.Methods. Seven eyes of seven consecutive patients with retinal vascular diseases were examined. Two healthy subjects served as controls. All eyes were scanned with the SD-OCT XR Avanti (Optovue Inc, Fremont CA, USA). Split spectrum amplitude decorrelation angiography algorithm was used to identify the blood flow within the tissue. Fluorescein angiography (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) with Spectralis HRA + OCT (Heidelberg Engineering GmbH) were performed.Results. In healthy subjects OCT-A visualized major macular vessels and detailed capillary networks around the foveal avascular zone. Patients were affected with myopic CNV (2 eyes), age-related macular degeneration related (2), branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) (2), and branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) (1). OCT-A images provided distinct vascular patterns, distinguishing perfused and nonperfused areas in BRVO and BRAO and recognizing the presence, location, and size of CNV.Conclusions. OCT-A provides detailed images of retinal vascular plexuses and quantitative data of pathologic structures. Further studies are warranted to define the role of OCT-A in the assessment of retinovascular diseases, with respect to conventional FA and ICG-A.


2018 ◽  
Vol 103 (7) ◽  
pp. 911-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Nassisi ◽  
Yue Shi ◽  
Wenying Fan ◽  
Enrico Borrelli ◽  
Akihito Uji ◽  
...  

AimsTo evaluate the choriocapillaris (CC) flow alterations around geographic atrophy (GA) in eyes with dry age-related macular degeneration.MethodsUsing a swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) device, two volume 6×6 mm scans were acquired in patients with GA presenting between June and December 2017 at the Doheny-UCLA Eye Centers. The area of GA was delineated on the en face structural OCT fundus images. For each eye, the en face OCTA slabs at the level of the CC from the two acquisitions were averaged and compensated for signal loss using the corresponding structural en face images. The resulting images were binarised and analysed for the percentage of flow voids in the para-atrophy zone (a 500 µm wide ring around the immediate edge of the atrophy) and in the peri-atrophy zone (a 500 µm wide ring around the para-atrophy zone edge), the latter considered as a reference in the comparative analysis.ResultsThirty eyes of 20 patients were enrolled. The percentage of flow voids in the para-atrophy zone was 27.23%±6.29% and was significantly higher than in the surrounding peri-atrophy zone (23.4%±6.01%; p<0.001). There was no significant correlation between the flow void percentage in these regions and age, visual acuity, extent of the atrophic area or central choroidal thickness.ConclusionsA significant impairment of the CC flow is present in the zone immediately surrounding the GA lesions strengthening the hypothesis that CC alterations may be relevant to the progression of GA.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document