Abstract
Purpose :
Macrophages play an important role in retinal immunity and inflammation. Macrophage-like cells (MLCs) can be visualized in vivo using en face optical coherence tomography (OCT) and has garnered attention as potential biomarkers of inflammation. In the present study we aim to evaluate the role of these cells as non-invasive biomarkers of inflammation in pediatric patients with uveitis.
Methods :
In this retrospective study, we included OCTA scans of pediatric patients diagnosed with inactive and active uveitis and normal controls, as confirmed by fluorescein angiography (FA) conducted on the same day. For each eye, we obtained repeated OCTA scans (5-8 per eye) covering the fovea (3x3mm) and optic nerve head (ONH, 4.5x4.5mm). We used Fiji software to register and average the 3-μm slab above the internal limiting membrane to identify and count the MLCs
Results :
We included a total of 16 eyes with active uveitis (with foveal and ONH leakage on FA), 20 eyes with inactive uveitis (no leakage on FA), and 6 normal controls (no prior history of uveitis). Compared to normal controls, eyes with active uveitis demonstrated a significantly higher number of MLCs in both foveal (209 ±104 vs. 73.1 ± 57.3, p=0.035) and ONH regions (459.4 ± 223.4 vs. 229.6±97.1, p = 0.031). There was no statistically significant difference in MLC counts between eyes with inactive uveitis and normal controls in the fovea and ONH regions (p = 0.28 and 0.8, respectively). In eyes with a history of uveitis, we compared the number of MLCs at the active state(with active posterior leakage) and the inactive state (no leakage on FA) and observed a significant decrease in the number of MLCs (p < 0.05).
Conclusions :
our study showed a significant increase in MLCs in eyes with active uveitis when compared to both inactive state and normal controls. The number of MLCs significantly decreased following uveitis quiescence. These findings underscore the potential use of MLCs as biomarkers for monitoring disease activity in pediatric patients with uveitis.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.