Correlation of Baseline Visual Acuity Score with Subcomponents of Choroidal Neovascularization Lesions

Abstract

Purpose : To evaluate the relationship between visual acuity and subcomponents of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) lesions using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Methods : SD-OCT images of 17 eyes of 16 subjects with treatment- naïve CNV were analyzed in this retrospective study. Volume OCT data (512 x 128 macular cube; 6 x 6 mm; centered on the fovea) were collected using the Cirrus OCT. All 128 B-scans were manually segmented to precisely define the inner and outer border of CNV lesions and associated exudation. Specifically, the boundaries of subretinal fluid (SRF), subretinal hyperreflective material (SRHM), and pigment epithelium detachment (PED) were segmented using customized reading center grading software. After segmentations, thickness, reflectivity (normalized as described previously), and volume of these lesion components were generated and then correlated with the logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity using univariate and multivariate regression analysis.

Results : The mean age of the 16 subjects was 79 ± 8 years. Mean retinal thickness was 269 ± 20 µm. Mean logMAR visual acuity was 0.74 (senllen ~20 x 100) ± 0.53. Spearman correlations showed that logMAR visual acuity was significantly correlated with SRF thickness (r=0.53; p = 0.03), SRF volume (r=0.64; p =0.006) and SRHM volume (r=0.63; p=0.008). However, on multivariate regression analysis, only SRF volume remained an independent predictor (r²= 0.67; p<0.001) of logMAR visual acuity. (Table)

Conclusions : The extent of subretinal fluid at baseline appears to be an important predictor of baseline visual acuity in eyes with treatment-naïve CNV lesions. Longitudinal assessments are necessary to confirm our findings.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.