Search Results (5)

The purpose of this research is to determine whether retinal vasculatures differ between participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) and controls. Ninety participants (51 SSD, mean age 35.8 ± 13.5, and 39 controls, mean age 35.5 ± 11.4) underwent 3 × 3 mm² macular and 6 × 6 mm² optic nerve head (ONH) optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) scans. En face macula and ONH region images were divided into quadrants, binarized, and then skeletonized. Skeletonized vessel densities were compared between our two groups. Additionally, the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) size and acircularity index were compared between the two groups. There was significantly decreased vessel density in the temporal region of the ONH in the SSD group compared to controls (p = 0.033). Interestingly, the decreased vessel density was already present in patients with SSD in younger adulthood as compared to the controls (p = 0.006). There were no significant group differences in vessel density in any other region of the ONH, the ONH overall, any region of the macula, or the macula overall. There were also no significant group differences in the FAZ size or acircularity index. These data suggest there may be abnormal peripapillary retinal vasculature in patients with SSD. Whether this is a specific ocular vascular deficit or related to more systemic vascular abnormalities in SSD remains to be determined. Full article

Background: We aimed to compare the retinal, optic disc vascular density (ODVD) values, and acircularity index (AI) of patients with idiopathic macular telangiectasia type 2 (IMT) and healthy individuals using the optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) device. Methods: The study included 39 patients with IMT and 37 healthy controls. The OCTA findings of the patients and controls were examined. Results: The total, parafoveal and perifoveal vascular density of the superficial capillary plexus, choriocapillaris blood flow, inside-disc ODVD, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and retinal thicknesses were found to be statistically significantly lower, and the foveal avascular zone value was statistically significantly higher in the IMT group compared to the control group (p = 0.001, p = 0.01, p = 0.02, p = 0.01, p = 0.009, p = 0.002, p = 0.02, respectively). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and AI (p = 0.02), and a statistically significant positive correlation between peripapillary vascular density and BCVA (p = 0.04). Conclusions: We consider that the lower retinal, choriocapillaris, ODVD values, and retinal and RNFL thicknesses in the patients with IMT compared to the controls were due to vascular damage, remodeling, fibrosis, proliferation, and Müller cell damage. Ellipsoid zone defect, AI, and peripapillary vascular density are important indicators in the evaluation of visual acuity in these patients. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate foveal avascular zone (FAZ) features and macular flow density (FD) in various retinal layers in a cohort of patients with foveal hypoplasia (FH) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), in order to characterize microvascular abnormalities and explore their potential clinical significance. FAZ parameters and FD, as well as retinal thickness and volume values were analyzed and compared between patients with FH and an age- and gender-matched control cohort. Correlations between disease severity and visual acuity (VA), as well as between disease severity and FAZ features were evaluated. A total of 19 eyes with FH and 19 control eyes were included. The study group showed significantly higher FD values in the foveal sectors of the superficial and deep capillary plexus compared to controls. FAZ area, perimeter, and acircularity index (ACI) were noticeably altered in eyes with FH; however, they did not correlate with disease severity. Visual acuity was negatively correlated with disease severity. The results of this study provide evidence of altered microvasculature architecture specifically in the foveal sectors of patients with FH. The higher FD values in the foveal sectors of FH patients suggest a potential compensatory response of the retinal microvasculature. FAZ parameters and FD values of the foveal sectors could be used as part of an OCTA-based grading system in FH patients. Full article

Aim: We aimed to analyze changes in retinal microvascularization with intensive reduction of glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in patients with poorly controlled diabetes using quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) metrics. Method: This was a retrospective observational study in patients with uncontrolled diabetes admitted to the hospital for glycemic control. A second set of 15 healthy volunteers was included to serve as a control group. OCT-A was performed at inclusion and at 3 months to measure foveal avascular zone area (FAZA), vessel density (VD) of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP), acircularity index (AI), and fractal dimension (FD). Results: This analysis included 35 patients (35 eyes): 28 type-2 diabetics and 7 type-1 diabetics. Mean HbA1c was 13.1 ± 2.0% at inclusion and 7.0 ± 1.5% at 3 months. In the short period from inclusion to 3 months post-inclusion, patients showed significant decrease in VD–DCP (28.8% vs. 27.8%; p = 0.014), a significant increase in FAZA (0.300 mm² vs. 0.310 mm²; p < 0.001), and a significant increase in AI (1.31 vs. 1.34; p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis found an increase in FAZA was correlated with baseline HbA1c level and age (R² = 0.330), and a decrease in VD-DCP was correlated with HbA1c decrease and diabetes duration (R² = 0.286). Conclusions: Rapid glycemic control in patients with uncontrolled diabetes led to possible short-term microvascular damage that correlated to both initial and decreased HbA1c. Full article

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a disorder rapidly growing in prevalence, is linked to the retinal microvasculature complication diabetic retinopathy (DR). As one of the leading global causes of vision impairment and loss, imaging techniques to detect and monitor DR must continue to improve in order to address this growing burden. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a nascent imaging modality that generates three-dimensional visualizations of the retinal and choroidal microvasculature. Compared to fluorescein angiography, the gold-standard imaging modality for retinal vessels, OCTA offers the advantages of being non-invasive, quick, and able to resolve the multiple plexuses within the retina. Quantitative OCTA studies have explored parameters such as vessel density (VD), foveal avascular zone (FAZ), acircularity index, vessel tortuosity (VT), and fractal dimension (FD) amongst DR patients. This review synthesizes the main trends emerging from quantitative OCTA-based studies of DR and interrogates them within the context of DR pathophysiology. We offer a glimpse into how analysis techniques have shifted in the years since OCTA came into existence, while speculating on its future role in clinical practice. Full article