Quantitative assessment of choriocapillaris perfusion in patients with diabetic retinopathy using ultra-high-speed swept source optical coherence tomography angiography / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

ABSTRACT

AIM: To evaluate the characteristics of choriocapillary blood flow in different patients with diabetic retinopathy(DR)based on the measurement of choriocapillaris(CC)perfusion density(PFD)using ultra-high-speed swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography(SS-OCTA)METHODS: The cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 139 cases(139 eyes)who admitted to the Second People's Hospital of Hefei, including 115 DR cases(115 eyes)and 24 control cases(24 eyes). The color retinal images were graded according to the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study(ETDRS)scale, and the DR eyes were classified into non-DR group, nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR)group, NPDR combined with diabetic macular edema(DME)group and proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)group. The ultra-high-speed SS-OCTA was used to scan a 3mm×3mm region centered on the macular central fovea, the CC perfusion area was measured by the built-in software, and PFD was calculated. Multivariable linear regressions were used to evaluate the correlation between PFD of CC and DR degree.RESULTS: The degree of DR had a correlation with blood perfusion of CC after adjusting for various confounding factors. When compared to the control group, the PFD of CC in the central fovea of the NPDR group decreased by 9.358 units(95%CI -18.484～-0.232, P=0.045)and 9.284 units in the paracentral fovea(95%CI -18.487～-0.090, P=0.048); In the NPDR combined with DME group, the central fovea CC PFD decreased by 18.173 units(95%CI -28.583～-7.762, P=0.001), while the paracentral fovea decreased by 17.032 units(95%CI -27.521～-6.544, P=0.002); In the PDR group, the central fovea CC PFD decreased by 28.309 units(95%CI -39.978～-16.640, P<0.001), while the paracentral fovea decreased by 25.841 units(95%CI -37.597～-14.085, P<0.001).CONCLUSION: The macular perfusion can be objectively quantified by the measurement of CC PFD with ultra-high-speed SS-OCTA. The CC PFD in the macular region was significantly reduced in more advanced stages of DR. Furthermore, future research should focus on longitudinal studies in the causal relationship between CC perfusion and DR progression.