Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate quantitative parameters in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in eyes with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).
Methods :
We performed a retrospective chart review and analysis of BRVO eyes undergoing OCTA imaging (RTVue XR Avanti, Optovue, Fremont, CA). Thirty-one eyes of 31 BRVO patients (average age 68.1 years, 13 male) were included, of which 12 eyes had undergone prior treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents. Five OCTA parameters were derived for the superficial and deep capillary plexuses: vessel tortuosity, vessel diameter, foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, FAZ irregularity, and parafoveal avascular density. Baseline parameters were compared to controls without retinal vascular pathology using heteroscedastic t-tests. In BRVO patients who underwent treatment for macular edema (ME), changes in these parameters over time were analyzed.
Results :
Mean tortuosity and vessel diameter were significantly higher in BRVO eyes versus controls (tortuosity: 13.07 versus 7.33, diameter: 21.95 versus 17.11, respectively) (both P < 0.001). Mean FAZ area was larger in both superficial and deep capillary plexuses in BRVO eyes compared to controls (superficial: 0.283 versus 0.191, deep: 0.303 versus 0.213) (both P < 0.05). Contour irregularity of the FAZ was significantly higher in BRVO eyes compared to controls (superficial: 1.298 versus 1.126, deep: 1.323 versus 1.119) (both P < 0.05). Avascular densities were also significantly higher in BRVO eyes compared to control eyes in the superficial and deep plexuses in circular zones of diameter 1 and 2 mm from the foveal center (all P < 0.005). Pearson correlation calculations showed weak correlations between baseline logMAR visual acuity in BRVO eyes and tortuosity (r = -0.323), vessel width (r = -0.351), FAZ area (superficial: r = -0.34, deep: r = -0.393), and FAZ irregularity (superficial: r = -0.346, deep: r = -0.398). Seventeen eyes were treated for ME and had available follow-up OCTA imaging. No statistically significant changes were found in the means of each parameter at presentation compared to most recent follow-up.
Conclusions :
Quantitative OCTA parameters are useful at detecting vascular changes in BRVO eyes compared to controls, and may serve as additional objective measures for monitoring these patients.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.