Choriocapillaris Flow Deficit in Tubercular Serpiginous-Like Choroiditis with and without Paradoxical Worsening

PURPOSE

The aim is to analyze automated quantification of choriocapillaris flow deficit (CCFD) on swept-source (SS)-optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in tubercular serpiginous-like choroiditis (TBSLC).

METHODS

In this prospective study, automated CCFD calculations were performed on SS-OCTA and compared with CCFD areas on indocyanine green angiography (ICGA). Patients were divided into two groups based on the occurrence of paradoxical worsening (PW).

RESULTS

Twenty-nine eyes (29 subjects; 18 males; mean age: 33±12 years) were included. The mean CCFD at baseline was 34.9 ± 4.3% on OCTA in eyes without PW and 35.4 ± 5.0% on SS-OCTA with PW (p = .77). At 4 and 12 weeks, CCFD on SS-OCTA improved to 30.6 ± 3.9% and 28.0 ± 4.2% (p < .001) without PW, respectively, and increased to 42.9 ± 4.4% and 48.8 ± 4.1% (p < .001) with PW, respectively. The SS-OCTA CCFD correlated well with ICGA (r = 0.48; p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Automated quantitative serial assessment of CCFD on SS-OCTA can serve as a useful biomarker of disease activity in eyes with TBSLC.

Retino-choroidal evaluation of the macular region in eyes with tubercular serpiginous-like choroiditis using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography

AIM

To analyse the alterations in retino-choroidal angioarchitecture in eyes with active tubercular serpiginous-like choroiditis (TB-SLC) using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA).

METHODS

This prospective cross-sectional study enrolled 34 eyes diagnosed with TB-SLC and 34 age-matched healthy controls. Data acquisition with SS-OCTA using the PLEX Elite 9000 (Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc., Dublin, CA, USA) with a 6 × 6 mm pattern centered on the foveal center was done. Automated retinal vessel length density (VLD) and perfusion density (PD) and foveal avascular zone architecture were obtained from the ARI hub. Choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and choriocapillaris flow deficits (CCFD) were obtained using Image J.

RESULTS

Eyes with TB-SLC showed significantly reduced vessel indices in all retinal layers (P < 0.05), decreased CVI (P = 0.001) and increased CCFD (P = 0.001) as compared to healthy eyes. CCFD was increased significantly in the involved quadrants in eyes with TB-SLC when compared with the uninvolved quadrants and corresponding healthy quadrants in control subjects. CCFD showed a significant negative correlation with visual acuity (r = - 0.46, P = 0.006).

CONCLUSION

Eyes with TB-SLC manifest reduced VLD and PD, decreased CVI and increased CCFD. The CCFD alterations are non-uniform in these eyes, mainly located under the regions with disease activity.

LONGITUDINAL FOLLOW-UP OF TUBERCULAR SERPIGINOUS-LIKE CHOROIDITIS USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY

PURPOSE

To analyze and describe serial follow-up of choriocapillaris alterations in tubercular serpiginouslike choroiditis (SLC) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to compare it with multimodal imaging.

METHODS

In this prospective cohort study, patients with active tubercular SLC underwent OCTA using Optovue RTVue XR Avanti and other imaging techniques including enhanced-depth imaging OCT (EDI-OCT) (Heidelberg Spectralis; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), fundus autofluorescence, fluorescein angiography, and indocyanine green angiography. Serial imaging was performed for a total follow-up of 3 months. Choriocapillaris alterations at the site of lesions were analyzed on OCTA imaging, and their mean lesion areas were calculated.

RESULTS

Twenty-six eyes (26 patients; 20 males; mean age: 32.68 ± 10.56 years) were included. Fourteen eyes had active multifocal lesions (n = 39), whereas 12 eyes had active placoid lesions (n = 12). At baseline, OCTA showed hyporeflective flow deficit lesions corresponding to the hypofluorescent lesions on indocyanine green angiography in all eyes. In the multifocal type of SLC, the mean lesion area decreased in all eyes compared with baseline, and lesions with a lesion area less than 0.1 mm2 on OCTA showed near-complete resolution with minimal choriocapillaris atrophy. In comparison, all eyes with a placoid type of SLC showed no significant reduction in the lesion area and showed extensive choriocapillaris atrophy.

CONCLUSION

Optical coherence tomography angiography has the unique ability to demonstrate pathological flow impairment at the level of choriocapillaris in active tubercular SLC. Serial OCTA analysis reveals that large tubercular SLC lesions result in choriocapillaris atrophy as the lesions heal, whereas smaller multifocal lesions show resolution of choriocapillaris hypoperfusion with minimal atrophy.

Swept source OCTA reveals a link between choriocapillaris blood flow and vision loss in a case of tubercular serpiginous-like choroiditis

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive technique that is useful in the diagnosis and management of patients with posterior uveitis. Here we report the use of swept source OCTA (SS-OCTA) in a patient with tuberculosis (TB) associated serpiginous like choroiditis (TB-SLC) that made a full visual recovery following treatment with ATT, local and systemic corticosteroids, and systemic immune modulation. By comparing en face images of choriocapillaris (CC) blood flow before and after treatment, we conclude that the patient's visual recovery was associated with resolution of extensive CC flow deficits. This case highlights the utility of SS-OCTA in the multimodal evaluation of patients with choroidal inflammation, and the potential for good visual recovery in patients treated for TB-SLC.

Imaging in Tubercular Choroiditis: Current Concepts

PURPOSE

Ocular tuberculosis has protean clinical manifestations. Because of its varied clinical presentation, multimodal imaging is very important to characterize the disease activity, presence of inflammation, determining therapeutic response, and detection of complications.

METHODS

Narrative review.

RESULTS

In this review, various imaging modalities employed in the management of ocular tuberculosis including fluorescein angiography (FA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) have been reviewed. Not only do these imaging tools complement each other in providing a comprehensive assessment of the pathology, they also help in gaining valuable insights regarding the evolution of the disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Fundus imaging plays a vital role in the diagnosis and management of patients with posterior uveitis due to tuberculosis. Fundus imaging may have a useful role in defining clinical endpoints for ocular tuberculosis in the future.

Ocular tuberculosis: Where are we today?

Diagnosis and management of ocular tuberculosis (OTB) poses a significant challenge. Mixed ocular tissue involvement and lack of agreement on best practice diagnostic tests together with the global variations in therapeutic management contributed to the existing uncertainties regarding the outcome of the disease. The current review aims to update recent progress on OTB. In particular, the Collaborative Ocular Tuberculosis Study (COTS) group recently standardized a nomenclature system for defining clinical phenotypes, and also proposed consensus guidelines and an algorithmic approach for management of different clinical phenotypes of OTB. Recent developments in experimental research and innovations in molecular diagnostics and imaging technology have provided a new understanding in the pathogenesis and natural history of the disease.

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) as a new diagnostic tool in uveitis

Background

The broad spectrum of uveitis disorders requires a multimodal imaging approach in the daily practice of an ophthalmologist. As inflammatory conditions, they have in common an alteration in leukocyte migration. In this context, optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) might be of great value for diagnosing or following up patients with these disorders. To date, OCTA has rather been used as an additional tool besides the well-established diagnostic imaging tools, but its complementary diagnostic features become increasingly relevant, to follow disease activity and treatment response and for the understanding of pathomechanisms of various uveitis types.

This review summarizes the possible applications of OCTA and its advantages and disadvantages as opposed to dye-based angiographies in uveitic diseases.

Main body

Hitherto gold standards in the diagnostic workup of posterior or intermediate uveitis have been angiography on a dye-based method, which is fluorescein or indocyanine green. It gives information about the status of the blood-retinal barrier and the retinal and choroidal vasculature by visualizing diffuse leakage as a state of inflammation or complications as an ischemia or choroidal neovascularization. As noninvasive methods, fundus autofluorescence depicts the status of metabolic activity of the retinal pigment epithelium and OCT or enhanced depth imaging OCT, respectively, as a depth-resolving imaging method can supply additional information.

OCTA as a non-invasive, depth-resolution imaging tool of retinal and choroidal vessels adds detailed qualitative and quantitative information of the status of retinal and choroidal vessels and bridges the gap between the mentioned conventional diagnostic tools used in uveitis.

It is important, though, to be aware of its limitations, such as its susceptibility to motion artifacts, limited comparability among different devices, and restricted contribution of information regarding the grade of disease activity.

Conclusion

OCTA as a non-invasive, depth-resolution imaging tool can give qualitative and quantitative information about the status of retinal and choroidal vessels, but also has certain limitations. Employing OCTA as a complementary rather than exclusive tool, it can give important additional information about the macro- and microvasculature under inflammatory circumstances. Thereby, it also contributes to the understanding of the pathophysiology of various uveitis entities.