Abstract
Purpose :
Short-wavelength autofluorescence (SW-AF) is a useful tool to assess the integrity of the retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE). The health of the RPE in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is often assessed by SW-AF. However, changes of SW-AF over time may help determine prognosis. In this study, we evaluated the changes in SW-AF over 12 months in different forms of CSC.
Methods :
We retrospectively reviewed SW-AF images of 263 eyes with acute, recurrent and chronic CSC over 12 months. SW-AF patterns were broadly classified into normal, reduced signal in areas of subretinal fluid (SRF), stippled hyperautofluorescent in areas of past or current SRF, plaque like confluent absent autofluorescence, granular hypoautofluorescence, stippled hyper- and hypoautofluorescence and tracts. Dome shaped macula and optic disc pits were excluded. Changes in proportion of each SW-AF pattern over 12 months are reported.
Results :
In acute CSC (n=23), the most common pattern was reduced signal in areas of SRF (n=21, 91%), other patterns were normal. 22% of these patients (n=5) converted to stippled hyperautofluorescence in the same area over time. No eyes converted to hypoautofluorescence. In recurrent and chronic CSR (n=240), the most frequent pattern at baseline was a stippled hyper and hypoautofluorescent pattern (n=148, 62%) followed by confluent granular hypoautofluorescence (n=53, 22%), confluent plaque like hypoautofluorescence (n=33, 14%) and normal (n=6, 2%). Tracts were present in 53 eyes (22%). At 12 months, 4 out of the 6 eyes (67%) with normal baseline AF worsened to granular hypoautofluorescence. None of the other patterns of AF changed over 12 months but the areas of hyper- and hypoautofluorescence in the stippled variety changed over time with 15% of existing patterns progressing to involve larger areas in eyes with recurrent and chronic CSC.
Conclusions :
Acute CSC does not convert to hypoautofluorescent patterns within 12 months of presentation. In chronic and recurrent CSC the patterns of autofluorescence at baseline do not change over 12 months but worsening of the same pattern may be seen by 12 months.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.