Purpose
To evaluate possible association of large choroidal blood vessel changes observed on optical coherence tomography (OCT) images with pathogenesis of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), locational relationship between OCT findings and angiographic findings was investigated.
Methods
Clinical records of 27 patients with acute CSC who simultaneously underwent enhanced depth imaging (EDI) OCT and fluorescein angiography (FA) using Spectralis HRA+OCT (Heidelberg engineering, Germany) were retrospectively evaluated. 19 patients also underwent indocyanine green angiography (ICGA). The large choroidal blood vessel sign was defined as a round to oval choroidal structure abutting Bruch’s membrane with a diameter larger than 200 μm. Images of EDI OCT raster scan were analyzed for the location of large choroidal blood vessel sign and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) abnormalities. Infrared (IR) images with position markers corresponding to the boundary of OCT lesions were manually overlaid on FA and ICGA images, and locational relationship was analyzed.
Results
Twenty-nine eyes of 27 patients with acute CSC were evaluated. The defined sign on OCT images was identified as a large choroidal blood vessel on ICGA images. Mean frequency of the sign and RPE abnormalities on EDI OCT images was 1.83 ± 1.17 and 1.76 ± 1.02 per eye, respectively. Twenty-seven eyes (93.1 %) had the sign, showing overlapped area with hyperfluorescent area on FA. Of 25 eyes with active leakage point on FA, 23 eyes (92.0 %) showed the defined sign at or closely adjacent to the leakage point and RPE abnormalities on OCT images. In addition, 79.3% (23/29) of the sign showed overlapped area with the area having choroidal vascular hyperpermeablility on ICGA images.
Conclusions
Changes of large choroidal blood vessels observed on OCT images might be associated with pathogenesis of RPE and retinal abnormalities in acute CSC.
Keywords: 552 imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) •
452 choroid •
550 imaging/image analysis: clinical