Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Features in Post-COVID-19 Pneumonia Patients: A Pilot Study.
Am J Ophthalmol
; 227: 182-190, 2021 07.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1157088
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
This study investigated changes in retinal vessel density in macular and papillary regions in post-SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia patients by means of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).DESIGN:
Prospective, observational, cohort study.METHODS:
Forty eyes of 40 patients (mean age 49.7 ± 12.6 years old) post-SARS-CoV-2 infection and 40 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. COVID-19 patients had to be fully recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia and were evaluated 6 months after COVID-19 infection. The primary outcome resulted from OCTA studies of the following vascular structures vessel density (VD) in the retinal superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and radial peripapillary capillaries (RPC) compared to those of controls. Structural spectral domain (SD)-OCT parameters were also evaluated ganglion cell complex (GCC) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL).RESULTS:
The patients showed a significant reduction in VD of the SCP in whole images and in the DCP in all sectors compared to those in healthy subjects (P <.05). COVID-19 patients featured a reduced VD of the RPC compared to that in controls (P <.001). No differences were found in the GCC, whereas the RNFL was reduced in the COVID-19 group compared to that in controls (P = .012). Significant correlations were found between the RNFL and VD of the SCP, DCP, RPC, and FAZ area in the COVID-19 group (P <.05).CONCLUSIONS:
OCTA showed retinal vascular changes in subjects fully recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia. These findings could be a consequence of a thrombotic microangiopathy that affected retinal structures as well as other systemic organs. OCTA could represent a valid, noninvasive biomarker of early vascular dysfunction after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Retinal Diseases
/
Retinal Vessels
/
Fluorescein Angiography
/
Tomography, Optical Coherence
/
COVID-19
/
Macula Lutea
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Diagnostic study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Am J Ophthalmol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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