Correlation between choroidal thickness and choroidal blood flow in normal subjects

Abstract

 

Purpose

 

To investigate the correlation between choroidal thickness (CT) measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and the retrobulbar circulation measured by color Doppler flowmetry (CD) in normal subjects

 

Methods

 

Fifty-four eyes of 27 healthy patients, mean age 40.6 ± 12.4 years (range 27 to 68 year-old) were submitted to enhanced depth imaging SD-OCT(Spectralis OCT, Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) and CD using a linear 6-18 MHz transducer (MyLab30, Esaote, Italy). Maximum peak systolic velocity (VSM) and resistance index (RI) were obtained for ophthalmic (OA), short posterior ciliary (SPCA), and central retinal arteries (CRA); and correlated to subfoveal CT measurements measured by SD-OCT (Spectralis, Heidelberg Engeenering)

 

Results

 

An inversely proportional relationship was present between the SPCA resistance index (mean= 0.611± 0.07) and subfoveal CT (319.9 ± 83.7 μm), p= 0.0496, which was not found for the OA (mean= 0.701 ± 0.07) or the CRA (mean= 0.688 ± 0.08). There was no significant difference between CT values in both eyes (p= 0.5476)

 

Conclusions

 

Our results suggest that there is an inversely proportional relationship between the resistance index of the SPCA and the subfoveal CT. It was found an evidence that there is a decrease of CT with an increased resistance index in the retrobulbar arteries. Therefore a lower blood flow in the choroid can possibly explain the reduced CT in normal subjects

 

 

Spectral Domain OCT measurements: A) 30 year old subject; B) 48 year old subject and; C) 68 year old subject

 

 

Doppler flowmetry of the short posterior ciliary arteries: A) 30 year old subject; B) 48 year old subject and; C) 68 year old subject

 

Keywords: 452 choroid • 552 imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)