Elevated Choroidal Thickness and Central Serous Chorioretinopathy in the Fellow Eye of Patients with Circumscribed Choroidal Hemangioma

Abstract

Purpose : To determine if an association exists between increased choroidal thickness and the occurrence of circumscribed choroidal hemangioma (CCH), and to determine if patients with CCH have a predisposition for central serous chorioretinopathy (CSR).

Methods : This is a retrospective, consecutive observational study. 15 fellow eyes of 15 consecutive CCH patients were compared to control data from a previously published age-based normative database of choroidal thickness. A chart review of A scan and B scan ultrasonography, Fluorescein Angiography (FA), and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) findings were performed to confirm the diagnosis of CCH in each patient. Fellow eye choroidal thickness was measured using Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography (EDI-OCT). OCT images of fellow eyes were reviewed for signs of CSR.

Results :
The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly greater in the fellow eyes of patients with CCH than in age-matched normal eyes (p = 0.004). Three of 15 (20.0%) fellow eyes of CCH patients had retinal pigment epithelial disruptions and/or detachments indicative of previously asymptomatic CSR.

Conclusions :
In this pilot study, elevated choroidal thickness was associated with the risk of developing CCH as well as CSR in patients of varying ages. Patients diagnosed with CCH should be screened for CSR in the fellow eye. Further exploration of this association may reveal useful clues regarding the relationship between abnormally increased choroidal thickness and choroidal vascular hyperpermeability and their various clinical manifestations.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.