Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: We reported a high frequency of choroidal abnormalities in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) patients at an infrared–laser fundus examination using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope. The abnormalities were seen as bright patchy regions where hypofluorescence was seen in indocyanine–green angiogrames, and no abnormalities under a conventional opthalmoscopic examination or in fluorescein angiograms. In this study, the correlation between the patient age and the number of the abnormalities, and the preferential location of the abnormalities were examined. Methods: Twenty eight eyes of 14 patients with their ages ranging from two to 38 years old underwent an infrared–laser (wavelength: 780 nanometer) fundus examination using a Heidelberg Retina Angiogram. For classification of the locations, the whole fundus area was divided into five regions those were one within the retinal vascular arcades, one supero–temporal to the upper arcade, one infero–temporal to the lower arcade, one supero–nasal to the optic disc, and one infero–nasal to the disc. Results: There was a statistically positive correlation between the number of the choroidal abnormalities and the patient age (coefficient: r=0.60754). The choroidal abnormalities were seen at the region within the retinal arcades more often than the rest of the four other regions (ANOVA, p<0.001). Conclusions: The number of choroidal abnormalities were thought to increase with the age of NF1 patients, and the posterior pole within the retinal vascular arcades seemed to be the preferential location of the choroidal abnormalities.
Keywords: choroid • laser • imaging/image analysis: clinical