Purpose:
To investigate the change of choroidal thickness during the follow-up of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH) after high-dose steroid therapy.
Methods:
Subfoveal choroidal thicknesses in eyes with VKH were measured before high-dose steroid therapy and monitored during the follow-up using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography.
Results:
Seventeen patients with acute stage of VKH (11 females, mean age: 52 years) were enrolled in this study and all eyes showed retinal detachment. The patients were treated with intravenous high-dose steroid and subsequently with oral administration of steroid. The mean choroidal thickness before high-dose steroid was 889 ± 183 (mean ± SD) μm, which continued decreasing to the thickness of 314 ± 111μm at 3-month follow-up (Student t test, P < 0.001). The mean choroidal thickness at 1-year follow-up was 310 ± 78 μm (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Choroid is remarkably thick in eyes with acute VKH and continues shrinking at least for 3 months after high-dose steroid therapy. Choroidal inflammation in VKH appears to persist for a longer period than previously thought.
Keywords: uveitis-clinical/animal model • choroid • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)