Spatially resolved imaging of human macular capillaries using adaptive optics-enhanced optical coherence tomography angiography.

Documenting the organization of the retinal capillaries is of importance to understand the visual consequences of vascular diseases which may differentially affect the microvascular layers. Here we detailed the spatial organization of the macular capillaries in ten healthy human subjects using a prototypic adaptive optics-enhanced optical coherence tomography angiography (AO-OCTA) system. Within the central 6° × 6°, the radial peripapillary capillaries and the superficial, intermediate and deep vascular plexuses (SVP, IVP and DVP, respectively) were consistently resolved. In 8 out of the 10 eyes, the capillary segments composing the perifoveal arcade (PFA) were perfused only by the SVP, while drainage of the PFA showed more variability, comprising a case in which the PFA was drained by the DVP. Around the center, a distinct central avascular zone could be documented for each layer in 7 of the 10 cases; in three eyes, the IVP and SVP merged tangentially around the center. In all eyes, the foveal avascular zone was larger in the DVP than in the SVP and IVP. In one eye with incomplete separation of the inner foveal layers, there was continuity of both the SVP and the IVP; a central avascular zone was only present in the DVP. The diversity of perfusion and drainage patterns supported a connectivity scheme combining parallel and serial organizations, the latter being the most commonly observed in perifoveal vessels. Our results thus help to further characterize the diversity of organization patterns of the macular capillaries and to robustly analyze the IVP, which will help to characterize early stages of microvascular diseases.

Prevalence and significance of fovea plana in patients with epiretinal membrane.

INTRODUCTION: Fovea plana is indicative of an immature inner retina, yet its association with epimacular membrane (ERM) remains unexplored. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of fovea plana in the contralateral eye of patients diagnosed with ERM. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on consecutive patients in a monocentric tertiary ophthalmic department between January and April 2021. The study included all patients referred for ERM, with dense optical coherence tomography (OCT) B-scans utilized to assess the incidence of fovea plana in the contralateral eye. Patients with bilateral ERM were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: Out of 181 patients, 26 exhibited fovea plana in the contralateral eye, resulting in an incidence rate of 14.3%. Demographic characteristics, OCT patterns, and indications for surgery did not differ significantly between patients with and without fovea plana. DISCUSSION: The prevalence of fovea plana in patients with ERM did not exhibit a statistically significant increase compared to the reported incidence in patients undergoing preoperative cataract surgery. CONCLUSION: In our cohort, the incidence of fovea plana in patients with ERM was determined to be 14.3%.

Incidence and clinical significance of fovea plana in the French population with age-related cataract.

BACKGROUND: Fovea plana is defined as an immature macula diagnosed by OCT, showing the unusual shunt of the inner retinal layers into the fovea. The incidence of fovea plana in the adult population remains to be determined. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of fovea plana in the French population with age-related cataract. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent cataract surgery in Rothschild Foundation Hospital, France, between January and March 2021, with preoperative analyzable OCT scans available, were retrospectively screened in order to determine the incidence of fovea plana in these population. Ophthalmological characteristics of patients were reported, and detailed. RESULT: Fovea plana was encountered in 20 out of 204 patients during the 3 months corresponding to an incidence of 9.8%. One of those patients had stage 2 fovea plana. CONCLUSION: Although fovea plana is defined as an immature macula, it is not rare in preoperative population. This macular aspect was not associated with poor visual acuity in our cohort.

Foveal hypoplasia in parents of patients with albinism.

BACKGROUND: Albinism is a group of genetic disorders characterized by general skin and retinal hypopigmentation. It is in most cases an autosomal recessive condition. Foveal hypoplasia (FH) is one of the main criteria for the diagnosis of albinism. The aim of this study was to analyze the macular profile of the parents of patients with albinism. METHODS: This study included a case series of 27 patients with albinism seen in Rothschild Foundation between April 2017 and February 2020. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and OCT angiography (OCT-A) were performed in every patient when possible and in every available parents. FH was graded according to Thomas' classification based on OCT. Next generation sequencing-based gene panel testing was performed in parents and children when a FH was detected on OCT in a parent. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients with albinism were examined. Nine parents had FH based on the OCT B-scan (33%). In parents without FH based on the SD-OCT B-scan (67%), OCT-A showed a reduced avascular zone in the deep vascular plexus in 4 parents. Six parents carried variants that could explain their phenotype, including TYR R402Q hypomorphic alleles. CONCLUSION: This study showed the presence of FH in parents of patients with albinism, and aimed to genetically explain this phenotype.

En-face analysis of short posterior ciliary arteries crossing the sclera to choroid using wide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography.

To study the topographic distribution of the short posterior ciliary arteries (SPCA) entry sites into the choroid in normal eyes using structural en-face swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). Retrospective analysis of SS-OCT scans (wide-field structural SS-OCT 12 × 12 mm) of 13 healthy subjects was performed. Cross-sectional swept-source OCT scans derived from a volume scan were represented as en-face image display following the Choroid-Scleral Interface to obtain en-face OCT. SPCAs in their last scleral location before choroidal entrance were identified manually, counted and localized by two masked observers. Correlations between two masked observers were analyzed using inter- and intra-class correlation. Accuracy for the choroidal inner and outer border segmentation was 95-99%. Eighteen eyes from 13 normal subjects were included for SPCA analysis. The mean number of arteries was 13.8 ± 3.5 per eye. Thirty-six percent were in the center of the posterior pole image; however, 21% were in the temporal part of the posterior pole. Median accuracy of the detection is 0.94. The correlation between the two observers was fair (0.54). Our algorithm allows visualization of the SPCA at the posterior pole of the eye using wide-field en-face SS-OCT. It can also help the clinicians to study the SPCAs in numerous ocular diseases, particularly its relationship with focal choroidal diseases.

INFLIXIMAB and ADALIMUMAB in Uveitic Macular Edema.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of infliximab and adalimumab in patients with refractory uveitis-related macular edema (ME). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in all patients with refractory uveitis-related ME treated with infliximab or adalimumab in Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital between January 1, 2006 and January 1, 2016. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination, OCT and retinal angiography at baseline, and 6 (M6) and 24 months (M24) after treatment initiation. Main outcome was a decrease in central foveal thickness (CFT) on OCT. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were included: 12 treated with adalimumab and 13 treated with infliximab. The median baseline CFT was 381 µm (Q1 = 254; Q3 = 470) in the adalimumab group and 469 µm (307; 539) in the infliximab group. At M6, 6/12 adalimumab-treated patients (50%) and 8/13 infliximab-treated patients (61%) were responders. The median CFT decrease from baseline was 61 µm (17-136) and 66 µm (-59-119) respectively at M6 and M24 in the adalimumab group versus 92 µm (9-165) and 52 µm (33-130) respectively at M6 and M24 in the infliximab group (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: No significant difference in efficacy was observed between infliximab and adalimumab at M6 and M24.