RESUMO
PURPOSE: To evaluate choroidal findings on multimodal imaging in eyes within pachychoroid spectrum diseases and to compare quantitative and qualitative choroidal features between non-neovascular (NNV-PDS) and neovascular (NV-PDS) pachychoroid diseases. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional study comparing between NV-PDS and NNV-PDS. All patients underwent multimodal imaging including infracyanine green angiography (IFCGA) and swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT) and angiography (OCT-A). The following parameters were analyzed: subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), choroidal vascular index (CVI), presence of pachyvessels and choroidal vascular interconnections (CVIC), presence of choroidal neovascularization and choriocapillaris density. RESULTS: Of the 87 eyes included in the study, 63 eyes (73%) had NNV-PDS and 24 eyes (27%) had NV-PDS. Mean SFCT and CVI were significantly higher in NNV-PDS group (p = 0.01; p = 0.022). Pachyvessels were more diffusely distributed in NNV-PD group and more focally distributed in NV-PDS group (p = 0.029). CVIC were more frequently noted in NV-PDS group (p = 0.024). A higher CVI was associated to a thicker choroid (p < 0.001), with significant negative correlations between the presence of CVIC and both SFCT (p = 0.015) and CVI (p = 0.002). We also observed a lower choriocapillaris vascular density and higher number of choriocapillaris flow voids in eyes with NNV-PDS (p = 0.24; p = 0.61). CONCLUSION: NNV-PDS eyes had a significantly thicker SFCT, higher CVI and a lower rate of detected CVIC than eyes with NV-PDS. These highlighted choroidal vascular changes might lead to a better understanding of pachychoroid disease pathophysiology. More frequently observed in NV-PDS group, CVIC are believed to assess the development of vortex vein anastomoses as a remodelling process for vascular decongestion.
RESUMO
Purpose: To evaluate circumpapillary vessel density (cpVD) in normal subjects, preperimetric glaucoma, and manifest glaucoma, assess the relationship between cpVD and both structural and functional parameters and compare the diagnostic accuracy of the structural and vascular measurements. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study of 153 eyes of 83 individuals divided into three groups: Normal subjects, preperimetric glaucoma, and manifest glaucoma. All individuals underwent standard automated perimetry, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and OCT angiography (OCT-A) centered on the optic nerve. We assessed structural (ganglion cell complex [GCC]/retinal nerve fiber layer [RNFL]) and functional parameters (mean deviation [MD]/loss variance [LV]). Results: Thirty-three normal subjects (66 eyes), 18 patients (30 eyes) with preperimetric glaucoma, and 32 patients (57 eyes) with manifest primary open-angle glaucoma were enrolled. The comparative study of cpVD showed a significant difference comparing glaucomatous subjects versus preperimetric glaucoma (P = 0.025) groups and normal subjects (P < 0.001). The cpVD was strongly correlated with functional parameters, MD, and LV (P < 0.001). Furthermore, cpVD was better correlated with RNFL (P < 0.001) than GCC (P < 0.001). Best regression was observed with mean RNFL (R2 = 0.752). The cpVD has a higher diagnostic value than RNFL and GCC, only between preperimetric and manifest glaucoma. Conclusions: Circumpapillary vessel damages seem to be less prominent, as it was seen only for the manifest glaucoma group. Microvascular changes appear to occur secondary to RNFL and GCC damages. They seem to be well correlated with visual function. Therefore, OCT-A is not as sensitive as SD-OCT in detecting early structural alterations.