The Characteristic Changes of Choroid in Patients with VKH by EDI-OCT

Abstract

Purpose: To study the characteristic changes of choroid of patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease at different stages.

Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted. Fifty four VKH patients in acute uveitic and convalescent stages, twenty four patients with central serous chorioretinopathy and fifty four normal subjects were included in this study from September 2012 to September 2013. Subfoveal choroid images of all subjects were captured by enhanced depth imaging (EDI) optical coherence tomography (Heidelberg Spectralis OCT). A horizontal scan across the fovea was chosen and the choroidal thickness was also measured by digital calipers. The choroid images of patients and normal subjects are observed by retinal specialists.

Results: All of the patients at the uveitis onset phase of VKH have decreased thickness of choroid and markedly decreased hyperreflective dots in choroid. The mean choroid thickness of VKH patients at acute stages significantly increased (731.85±228.77μm) compared with both CSC patients and normal subjects (p<0.01). There were numberless hyperreflective dots the inner choroid in normal eyes, CSC patients and chronic uveitis patients. While the choroids of patients at the convalescent stage tend to be thinner than those of normal subjects. The mean choroid thickness of VKH patients at convalescent stage (264.66±127.72μm) is thicker than that of normal subjects (275.66±73.13μm).

Conclusions: The characteristic changes of choroid by EDI-OCT may be helpful in the diagnosis and the evaluation of treatment for VKH disease.

Keywords: 452 choroid • 550 imaging/image analysis: clinical • 746 uveitis-clinical/animal model