Correlation between decreased choroidal blood flow velocity and the pathogenesis of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy

Decrease in choroidal blood flow after half and one-third dose verteporfin photodynamic therapy for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy

Background

The effect of various reduced doses of verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT) on choroidal blood flow in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate choroidal blood flow after half-dose PDT (1/2PDT) and one-third dose PDT (1/3PDT) with verteporfin for chronic CSC using laser speckle flowgraphy and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

Methods

Twenty-seven eyes of 27 patients with serous retinal detachment (SRD) caused by chronic CSC for more than 6 months were included in this study. Patients were divided into the 1/2PDT (n = 12; January 2018 to July 2019) and 1/3PDT (n = 15; August 2016 to December 2017) groups based on the treatment period. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), central choroidal thickness (CCT), and mean blur rate in the macular area (m-MBR) and optic nerve head (ONH-MBR) were obtained using laser speckle flowgraphy and evaluated at baseline (pre-treatment), and 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment.

Results

We found that SRD disappeared after 1 month in 92 and 93% of patients’ eyes in the 1/2PDT and 1/3PDT groups, respectively. Recurrence of SRD was observed in one eye at the 6-month follow-up after 1/2PDT and two eyes at the 3-month follow-up after 1/3PDT. No significant improvement was observed in baseline BCVA in the 1/3PDT and 1/2PDT groups. The average m-MBR against baseline significantly decreased at 2 weeks and 1, 3, and 6 months in the 1/2PDT group. The average m-MBR against baseline decreased significantly only at the 2 weeks follow-up in the 1/3PDT group. The average rate of change in the CCT against baseline decreased significantly throughout for up to 6 months in the 1/2PDT group and for up to 3 months in the 1/3PDT group. No significant fluctuation was observed in the ONH-MBR.

Conclusions: Here, PDT significantly affected choroidal blood flow depending on the verteporfin dose in chronic CSC.

Trial registration

This trial was retrospectively registered (UMIN000026850; Approval date 03/04/2017).

Comparison of clinical characteristics in patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy according to anti-retinal antibody status

PURPOSE

To evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR), according to the presence or absence of anti-retinal antibodies (ARAs) that are frequently detected in autoimmune retinopathy.

METHODS

Retrospective observational case series. This study included 33 patients with acute-stage AZOOR who had been followed up for more than 6 months after the initial visit. The median follow-up period was 26 months. Immunoblot analyses were used to detect autoantibodies for recoverin, carbonic anhydrase II, and α-enolase in serum from these patients. Main outcome measures comprised clinical factors at the initial and final visits, including best-corrected visual acuity, mean deviation on Humphrey perimetry, and retinal morphology, which were statistically compared between patients with AZOOR who exhibited ARAs and those who did not.

RESULTS

At least one serum ARA was detected in 42% of patients with AZOOR. There were no significant differences in clinical factors between the two groups, including follow-up period, best-corrected visual acuity and mean deviation at the initial and final visits, a-wave amplitude on single-flash electroretinography at the initial visit, and frequencies of improvement of the macular ellipsoid zone and AZOOR recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the presence of ARAs did not influence visual outcomes or outer retinal morphology in patients with AZOOR.

Association of OCT-A characteristics with postoperative visual acuity after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment surgery: a review of the literature

PURPOSE

Emerging evidence has suggested that macular microcirculation and microstructural changes after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) successful reattachment surgery are currently evaluated in detail by OCT-Angiography (OCT-A). New imaging technology has revealed the existence of microscopic macular changes, even in cases that retinal morphology appears to be normal in fundus biomicroscopy. The use of OCT-A for the examination of foveal characteristics has attracted significant attention in recent years as the technique offers a potential explanation of the suboptimal recovery of visual acuity and incomplete restoration of the macula despite anatomical repair. However, the available evidence that is needed to establish the OCT-A parameters as predicting factors in clinical practice is both limited and contradictory.

METHODS

A detailed review of the literature was conducted. The association of OCT-A characteristics with postoperative visual acuity after RRD surgery, including vitrectomy with gas tamponade and in some cases scleral buckle, was extensively analyzed.

RESULTS

A comprehensive update on microcirculation and microstructural changes of the macula using OCT-A after RRD repair may indicate potential factors of functional outcomes in clinical practice.

CONCLUSION

A review of the existing literature sheds light on the microvascular changes of the macular capillary plexus that may significantly affect functional outcomes after RRD surgery. The current article discusses important aspects of key publications on the topic, highlights the importance of long-term effectiveness of these possible prognostic factors and proposes the need for further future research.

Acute Idiopathic Blind Spot Enlargement and Acute Zonal Occult Outer Retinopathy: Potential Mimics of Neuro-Ophthalmic Disease

In 1988, William Hoyt, MD, et al described "acute idiopathic blind spot enlargement" (AIBSE) in 7 symptomatic patients who had no apparent abnormalities of the optic disc or surrounding retina. With the use of multifocal electroretinography, they showed that the scotoma was caused by occult retinal dysfunction. In 1992, J. Donald Gass, MD, described "acute zonal occult outer retinopathy" (AZOOR) in 13 patients who had sudden loss of often large zones of visual field without fundus abnormalities. Most patients developed zonal atrophy of retinal pigment epithelium and had no improvement in vision. Gass believed that AZOOR, multiple evanescent white dot syndrome, multifocal choroiditis, and AIBSE were all variants of the same disorder. Despite over 3 decades of numerous reports, the classification of these entities, their pathogenesis, and treatment remain controversial. AIBSE and AZOOR may be mistaken for an acute optic neuropathy, so it behooves the neuro-ophthalmologist to be familiar with these disorders. This review describes the initial recognition of AIBSE and its relationship to AZOOR.

Changes in Retinal Vessel and Retinal Layer Thickness After Vitrectomy in Retinal Detachment via Swept-Source OCT Angiography

Purpose

To compare postvitrectomy retinal and choroidal vessel density (VD) and retinal layer thickness between eyes with macula-off and macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to identify OCTA factors associated with visual outcomes.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 31 eyes that underwent pars plana vitrectomy for primary RRD. Eyes with macula-off and macula-on RRD were compared with healthy fellow eyes. Both OCT and OCTA were performed 6 months after surgery, and the macula-off RRD group was divided into two subgroups according to the presence of an outer retinal defect. The correlations between postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 6 months and SS-OCT and OCTA measurements were analyzed.

Results

Twenty eyes with macula-off RRD and 11 eyes with macula-on RRD were included. In the macula-off RRD group, the central retinal thickness was significantly decreased 6 months postoperatively compared with the fellow eyes (228.9 ± 29.7 µm and 253.6 ± 27.7 µm, P = 0.009). In the outer retinal defect group, the choriocapillaris plexus (CCP) VD was significantly decreased compared with the fellow eyes (56.4% ± 4.8% and 60.2% ± 4.0%, P = 0.026). In the macula-off RRD group, the postoperative BCVA at 6 months correlated significantly with the ratio of the center CCP VD of the detached eyes to that of the fellow eyes (R2 = 0.207, P = 0.025).

Conclusions

The CCP VD could be related to the anatomical restoration of the outer retinal layer in macula-off RRD. The CCP VD as determined by OCTA could be an indicator of the visual outcome after surgery in macula-off RRD.

Changes in choroidal blood flow velocity in patients diagnosed with central serous chorioretinopathy during follow-up for pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy

Purpose

To evaluate chronological changes in choroidal blood flow velocity in two patients with pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy (PPE) and central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) in the same eye.

Observations

Two males aged 36 and 43 years old with PPE were diagnosed with CSC in the same eyes during follow-up. Using laser speckle flowgraphy, the macular mean blur rate (MBR), an index of relative blood flow velocity, was sequentially evaluated in the affected and unaffected eyes. In the affected eye, the macular MBR values at the onset of PPE and CSC were higher, at 25% and 33% in Case 1 and 21% and 51% in Case 2, respectively, than those on PPE regression; but the same trends were not observed in their fellow eyes. The increases in MBR changing rates were 1.3 and 2.5 times higher in Cases 1 and 2, respectively, at the onset of CSC than those at the onset of PPE.

Conclusion and importance

In the affected eyes, the rates of MBR change increased at the alternate onsets of PPE and CSC. The increased MBR changing rates were 1.3-2.5 times higher at the onset of CSC than those at the onset of PPE. Our data suggest that choroidal hyperperfusion is involved in the pathogenesis of both diseases and that its severity may differ between CSC and PPE. These results may support the hypothesis that PPE and CSC clinically overlap and have a common pathogenic background.

Increased thickness and decreased blood flow velocity of the choroid in a patient with acute macular neuroretinopathy

Background

The involvement of choroidal lesions in acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN) is not yet fully understood. We quantitatively examined sequential changes in the morphology and circulation hemodynamics of the choroid using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) and laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in a patient with AMN.

Case presentation

A 15-year-old boy was referred to our hospital due to AMN in his right eye alone. The next day AMN developed in his left eye. Three months later, AMN lesions in both eyes spontaneously resolved and the morphology of macular photoreceptors improved. Using EDI-OCT, central choroidal thickness (CCT) was examined for a period of three months, starting from the initial visit. Using LSFG, macular mean blur rate (MBR) was examined for three months, starting 1 week after the initial visit. At the first visit, CCT of the right eye with AMN was 82 μm higher than that of the left eye, which had not yet developed AMN, and decreased by 86 μm after three months. In the left eye, similarly, CCT increased by 16 μm after the AMN onset at 1 week compared with a pre-onset value at the first visit and thereafter decreased by 57 μm at 3 months. Macular MBR increased by 20–55% OD and 51–71% OS during the follow-up until 3 months.

Conclusions

We found that the choroid at the macula thickened at the onset of AMN and became thin with the regression of disease. Therefore, in concert with MBR data, these results further strengthened our hypothesis that choroidal circulation impairment plays a role in the pathogenesis of AMN.

Macular perfusion changes assessed with optical coherence tomography angiography after vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

PURPOSE

To explore macular perfusion changes in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) involved the macula following successful surgery and to evaluate the correlation between macular blood flow density and visual outcomes using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

METHODS

This retrospective study included 14 eyes (14 patients) with macular-off RRD that underwent a standard three-port 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and intraocular gas tamponade combined with phacoemulsification, aspiration, and intraocular lens implantation. OCTA was used to evaluate the macular perfusion changes throughout postoperative 12 weeks in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choriocapillary plexus (CCP). The fellow unaffected eyes were used as controls for comparison.

RESULTS

A significant increase in the superficial capillary plexus flow density (SCPFD) (P = 0.000) was observed over time in RRD eyes with successful PPV, as well as the deep capillary plexus flow density (DCPFD) (P = 0.000) and the choriocapillary plexus flow density (CCPFD) (P = 0.000). Final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was positively associated with CCPFD (r = - 0.577, P = 0.031) and non-correlated with SCPFD and DCPFD (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Macular perfusion gradually recovered following successful RRD repair by PPV. OCTA provided a non-invasive method to explore the underlying reason for different postoperative visual outcomes in macular-off RRD patients.

Choroidal vascularity index changes after vitreomacular surgery

PURPOSE

To study the structural changes in the choroid using swept-source (SS) optical coherence tomography (OCT), a tool for the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) following epiretinal membrane removal.

METHODS

Fifty-two eyes of 26 patients were evaluated in this prospective, single-centre, observational study. Twenty-six eyes underwent vitrectomy for epiretinal membrane removal (VT-group), and the control group consisted of 26 corresponding fellow eyes (F-group). All patients were evaluated at baseline, 30 and 90 days postsurgery. Using a modified image binarization algorithm for SS-OCT scans, the subfoveal choroidal area was segmented into the luminal and stromal areas, and the CVI was measured by calculating the proportion of the luminal area (LA) to the cross-sectional choroid area.

RESULTS

The mean CVI in the VT-group was 63.86 ± 4.04% at the baseline, 62.45 ± 4.21% at 30 days postsurgery and 61.06 ± 3.79% at 90 days (p < 0.001). The F-group had a mean CVI of 61.12 ± 2.29% at the baseline, 60.91 ± 2.25% at 30 days postsurgery and 61.05 ± 2.28% at 90 days (p = 0.29).

CONCLUSION

The CVI decreases following epiretinal membrane removal when compared to the fellow eyes, which suggests structural changes in the vascular layers of the choroid. The implication of these results may be that secondary inflammation resulting from mechanical traction induces choroidal thickness by way of increased vascularization of the choroid.

Acute zonal occult outer retinopathy: Is optical coherence tomography angiography useful?

A 44-year-old female presented with central vision loss and photopsia in both eyes since 2 months. Multimodal imaging, field defects, electroretinogram abnormalities, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography changes were all suggestive of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy. En-face optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images demonstrated hyper-reflective dots at the level of ellipsoid zone in both eyes in the presence of normal retinochoroidal vasculature. The patient was started on oral azathioprine and prednisolone. On two consecutive monthly follow-ups, en-face OCTA images demonstrated serial changes in the hyper-reflective dot morphology at ellipsoid zone level that have not been previously reported in the literature.

Changes in blood flow velocity and thickness of the choroid in a patient with leukemic retinopathy

Purpose

Choroidal circulation hemodynamics in eyes with leukemia has not been quantitatively examined yet. We quantitatively examined changes in choroidal blood flow velocity and choroidal thickness at the macula by using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) in a patient with leukemic retinopathy.

Observations

A 15-year-old boy presented with sudden central vision loss of his right eye. The patient's best-corrected visual acuity was 0.09 OD and 1.2 OS. Funduscopy revealed a sub-inner limiting membrane hemorrhage at the macula, intra-retinal hemorrhages with Roth spots, and dilatation and tortuosity of retinal veins OU. Leukocytosis with the Philadelphia chromosome was found in the peripheral blood, which led to a diagnosis of retinopathy associated with chronic myeloid leukemia. Retinal hemorrhages resolved after chemotherapy. Macular mean blur rates on LSFG increased by 24–38% OD and 13–26% OS, while macular choroidal thicknesses on EDI-OCT decreased by 7–60 μm OD and 8–46 μm OS during the 3-month follow-up period after the start of treatment.

Conclusion and importance

These results suggest that choroidal blood flow velocity decreased and choroidal thickness increased sub-clinically in the acute stage of a patient with leukemic retinopathy. LSFG and EDI-OCT may be useful to non-invasively evaluate the activity of choroidal involvement in leukemic retinopathy.

Relationship between Choroidal Thickness and Visual Field Impairment in Acute Zonal Occult Outer Retinopathy

Purpose

To evaluate sequential changes in choroidal thickness at the affected area in patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR).

Methods

This retrospective observational case series included 14 affected eyes and 6 unaffected fellow eyes from 10 AZOOR patients with impaired macular area. Using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography, choroidal thicknesses at the subfovea and at nasal and temporal sites 1000 μm away from the fovea were manually measured at baseline and 3 and 6 months thereafter. Changes in the choroidal thicknesses and the average threshold at the affected area on Humphrey perimetry were compared during the 6-month follow-up.

Results

In AZOOR eyes, the average threshold at the affected area significantly increased over time, while outer retinal structure ameliorated. The mean choroidal thicknesses at all the sites measured significantly decreased at 3 and 6 months compared with baseline values in AZOOR eyes, but not in fellow eyes. There was an inverse correlation between the changing rates of the average threshold and the subfoveal choroidal thickness at 6 months from baseline.

Conclusion

The current data suggest that choroidal thickness at AZOOR-affected area significantly decreased with regression of AZOOR and this anatomical change correlated with the functional recovery.

Blood flow velocity and thickness of the choroid in a patient with chorioretinopathy associated with ocular blunt trauma

BACKGROUND

Choroidal circulation hemodynamics in eyes with ocular blunt trauma has not been quantitatively examined yet. We quantitatively examined changes in choroidal blood flow velocity and thickness at the lesion site using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) in a patient with chorioretinopathy associated with ocular blunt trauma.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 13-year-old boy developed a chorioretinal lesion with pigmentation extending from the optic disc to the superotemporal side in the right eye after ocular blunt trauma. The patient's best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.2 in the right eye. Indocyanine green angiography showed hypofluorescence from the initial phase, with a decrease of mean blur rate (MBR) on LSFG color map, which corresponded to the chorioretinal lesion. The BCVA and foveal outer retinal morphologic abnormality spontaneously improved during follow-up. MBR and choroidal thickness increased by 23-31% and 13-17 μm at the lesion site and by 11-22% and 33-42 μm at the fovea, respectively, during the 6-month follow-up period after baseline measurements in the affected eye. In contrast, these parameters showed little or no changes at the normal retinal site in the affected eye and the fovea in the fellow eye.

CONCLUSIONS

Current data revealed that both blood flow velocity and thickness in the choroid at the lesion site decreased in the acute stage and subsequently increased together with improvements in visual function and outer retinal morphology. These results suggest that LSFG and EDI-OCT may be useful indices that can noninvasively evaluate activity of choroidal involvement in ocular blunt trauma-associated chorioretinopathy.

Ocular Blood Flow Measurements in Healthy White Subjects Using Laser Speckle Flowgraphy

Purpose

To assess the feasibility and reliability of Laser Speckle Flowgraphy (LSFG) to measure ocular perfusion in a sample of healthy white subjects and to elucidate the age-dependence of the parameters obtained.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 80 eyes of 80 healthy, non-smoking white subjects of Western European descent between 19 and 79 years of age. A commercial LSFG instrument was applied to measure ocular blood flow at the optic nerve head (ONH) three successive times before and after pharmacological pupil dilation. The mean blur rate (MBR), a measure of relative blood flow velocity, was obtained for different regions of the ONH. Eight parameters of ocular perfusion derived from the pulse-waveform analysis of MBR including blowout time (BOT) and falling rate (FR) were also recorded.

Results

Artifact-free LSFG images meeting the quality criteria for automated image analysis were obtainable in 93.8% without pupil dilation and in 98.8% with pharmacological pupil dilation. Measurements of MBR showed excellent repeatability with intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.937 and were barely affected by pupil dilation. The majority of pulse-waveform derived variables exhibited equally high repeatability. MBR-related blood flow indices exhibited significant age dependence (p<0.001). FR (r = 0.747, p<0.001) and BOT (r = -0.714, p<0.001) most strongly correlated with age.

Conclusions

LSFG represents a reliable method for the quantitative assessment of ocular blood flow in white subjects. Our data affirms that the LSFG-derived variables FR and BOT may be useful biomarkers for age-related changes in ocular perfusion.

Choroidal circulation impairment during the anterior recurrence of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease confirmed with indocyanine green angiography and laser speckle flowgraphy

PURPOSE

To assess choroidal inflammation-related circulatory changes associated with the anterior recurrence of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease, using indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG).

METHODS

This retrospective case series included 17 eyes of 11 patients with VKH disease showing recurrent inflammatory findings in the anterior, but not posterior, segment (i.e. anterior recurrence). Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and LSFG were performed at the time of recurrence and one month after the initiation of corticosteroid therapy. The number and total area of hypofluorescent dark dots (HDDs) on ICGA were independently counted by three physicians and measured with ImageJ, respectively. Mean blur rate (MBR), a quantitative index of relative blood flow velocity, was calculated via the LSFG Analyzer software.

RESULTS

Hypofluorescent dark dots (HDDs) were identified on ICGA in 13 of 17 eyes (76%) with the anterior recurrence of VKH disease. The number and total area of HDDs significantly decreased from 203 ± 101 dots to 59 ± 51 dots and from 48 789 ± 24 251 pixels to 15 664 ± 13 254 pixels, respectively. The change ratio of MBR significantly increased by 17.9 ± 16.3% after the treatment. Importantly, there was no significant association between the change ratios of HDDs and MBR.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings on LSFG and ICGA clearly demonstrated subclinical involvement as well as post-treatment improvement of choroidal circulation impairment due to granulomatous inflammation in eyes with the anterior recurrence of VKH disease. The present data suggest the validity of using these two examinations, capable of detecting different circulatory changes, in the management of recurrent VKH disease.

Increased choroidal blood flow velocity with regression of acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy

PURPOSE

To quantitatively examine changes in choroidal circulation hemodynamics in patients with acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE).

METHODS

Retrospective observational case series. Five eyes of 3 APMPPE patients were included. In all APMPPE eyes, laser speckle flowgraphy was conducted to evaluate the mean blur rate (MBR), a quantitative index of relative blood flow velocity. The changes in MBR at the initial visit and after 3 and 6 months were statistically analyzed. In 2 eyes, enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography was used to measure central choroidal thickness.

RESULTS

In all eyes, multiple subretinal placoid lesions spontaneously regressed with recovery of outer retinal morphology. The average MBR significantly increased at 3 and 6 months after baseline at the fovea by 49.6 and 54.2 % and at the lesion site by 65.2 and 70.8 %, respectively. These changes at both regions during the 6-month follow-up were statistically significant (P = 0.02 for each). The mean central choroidal thickness decreased with time (518.0 µm at baseline to 344.5 µm at 6 months).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data revealed the significant elevation of choroidal blood flow velocity and the substantial reduction of choroidal thickness with regression of APMPPE, suggesting that impaired choroidal circulation is involved in the pathogenesis of APMPPE.

Acute zonal occult outer retinopathy in Japanese patients: clinical features, visual function, and factors affecting visual function

Purpose

To evaluate the clinical features and investigate their relationship with visual function in Japanese patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR).

Methods

Fifty-two eyes of 38 Japanese AZOOR patients (31 female and 7 male patients; mean age at first visit, 35.0 years; median follow-up duration, 31 months) were retrospectively collected: 31 untreated eyes with good visual acuity and 21 systemic corticosteroid-treated eyes with progressive visual acuity loss. Variables affecting the logMAR values of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the mean deviation (MD) on Humphrey perimetry at initial and final visits were examined using multiple stepwise linear regression analysis.

Results

In untreated eyes, the mean MD at the final visit was significantly higher than that at the initial visit (P = 0.00002). In corticosteroid-treated eyes, the logMAR BCVA and MD at the final visit were significantly better than the initial values (P = 0.007 and P = 0.02, respectively). The final logMAR BCVA was 0.0 or less in 85% of patients. Variables affecting initial visual function were moderate anterior vitreous cells, myopia severity, and a-wave amplitudes on electroretinography; factors affecting final visual function were the initial MD values, female sex, moderate anterior vitreous cells, and retinal atrophy.

Conclusions

Our data indicated that visual functions in enrolled patients significantly improved spontaneously or after systemic corticosteroids therapy, suggesting that Japanese patients with AZOOR have good visual outcomes during the follow-up period of this study. Furthermore, initial visual field defects, gender, anterior vitreous cells, and retinal atrophy affected final visual functions in these patients.

Increased choroidal blood flow velocity with regression of unilateral acute idiopathic maculopathy

PURPOSE

The pathogenesis of unilateral acute idiopathic maculopathy (UAIM) is unknown. The aim of this study was to quantitatively examine changes in choroidal circulation hemodynamics in patients with UAIM.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational case-series which included five eyes of four patients with UAIM. All UAIM eyes and the fellow eyes in remaining three patients were studied using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) to evaluate the mean blur rate (MBR), a quantitative index of relative blood flow velocity. The changes in MBR between the initial visit and after 1 and 3 months were statistically analyzed. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured in three UAIM eyes by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography.

RESULTS

The mean logMAR value of best-corrected visual acuity in the UAIM eyes significantly improved (P = 0.04) with recovery of outer retinal morphology. The average MBR of the UAIM eyes significantly increased at 1 (+21.7% baseline value; P = 0.003) and 3 months (+32.5% baseline value; P = 0.001), whereas the fellow eyes did not show this tendency. The mean values of subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased with time (316.0 µm at baseline, 186.6 µm at 1 month, and 167.3 µm at 3 months).

CONCLUSIONS

These results reveal that there is a significant elevation of choroidal blood flow velocity and substantial reduction of choroidal thickness with regression of UAIM, suggesting that impaired choroidal circulation may be involved in the pathogenesis of UAIM.

Decreased choroidal blood flow velocity in the pathogenesis of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome

PURPOSE

On the basis of angiographic features, it is suggested that choroidal circulation disturbance may be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS). The aim of this study is to quantitatively evaluate changes in choroidal circulation hemodynamics using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in patients with MEWDS.

METHODS

Twelve eyes of 12 patients with MEWDS and 12 unaffected fellow eyes as controls were included. The macular mean blur rate (MBR), a quantitative index of relative blood flow velocity in the choroid, was measured by LSFG. Sequential changes in the average MBR values at the macula with granular changes and the lesion area with white dots were analysed. Moreover, correlations between the MRR changing rate and initial visual functions were examined.

RESULTS

Visual functions significantly improved 3 months after initial visit with accompanying improvements in outer retinal morphology. When compared with the baseline measurements, the MBR significantly increased at the macula of the affected eyes by 20.2 % and 13.0 % at 1 and 3 months respectively (P < 0.01 for both), while no significant change was detected in fellow eyes. Similarly, the MBR increased at the lesion area by 17.8 % and 12.0 % at 1 and 3 months respectively (P < 0.05 for both). Notably, the macular MBR elevation at 1 month was negatively correlated with both initial best-corrected visual acuity and the average threshold at the macula on Humphrey perimetry at baseline (R = -0.76, P = 0.003; R = -0.60, P = 0.03, respectively), suggesting a close link between initially reduced choroidal blood flow and functional abnormalities at the onset of MEWDS.

CONCLUSIONS

These results, in concert with angiographic findings, are likely to reinforce the concept of choroidal circulation impairment as a predisposing factor for MEWDS.

Increased macular choroidal blood flow velocity and decreased choroidal thickness with regression of punctate inner choroidopathy

Background

Changes in choroidal circulation hemodynamics during the course of punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) remain unknown. The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate changes in choroidal blood flow velocity by using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in patients with PIC.

Case presentation

This PIC patient was initially treated with systemic corticosteroids for 4 months. LSFG measurements were taken 10 consecutive times before treatment and at 1, 3, 12, 20 and 23 months after the initiation of therapy. The mean blur rate (MBR), a quantitative index of relative blood flow velocity, was calculated using LSFG in three regions: Circles 1, 2 and 3 were set at the fovea, a lesion site, and an area of normal-appearing retina, respectively.

The PIC lesions scarred after treatment along with improvements in visual function and outer retinal morphology. When the changing rate of macular flow over the 12-month follow-up period was compared with the MBR before treatment (100%), an increase of 16–37%, 24–49% and 15–18% was detected in Circles 1, 2 and 3, respectively. At the time of PIC recurrence after 20 months, the MBR decreased temporarily but subsequently increased after retreatment with systemic corticosteroids. This trend was accompanied by a decrease in choroidal thickness at the lesion site after retreatment.

Conclusions

Macular choroidal blood flow velocity increased and choroidal thickness decreased concurrently with regression of PIC. The present findings suggest that inflammation-related impairments in choroidal circulation may relate to the pathogenesis of PIC, extending over a wider area in the posterior pole than the PIC lesions per se.

Gender differences in birdshot chorioretinopathy and the white dot syndromes: do they exist?

Inflammatory conditions that affect the posterior pole are diverse. Specifically, birdshot chorioretinopathy and the white dot syndromes present with multiple white dots in the fundus. These diseases appear to affect similar age groups but there is question as to whether or not a difference exists between the genders. This review summarizes the current studies on birdshot chorioretinopathy and the white dot syndromes as they are related to gender, exploring the differences, if any, which may exist between prevalence, clinical presentation, and treatment response for these diseases. Though the specific etiology of these diseases remains unclear, future treatments may be guided as to how these diseases affect the sexes differently.