Decorin Concentrations in Aqueous Humor of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular complication of diabetes in the retina. Chronic hyperglycemia damages retinal microvasculature embedded into the extracellular matrix (ECM), causing fluid leakage and ischemic retinal neovascularization. Current treatment strategies include intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or steroidal injections, laser photocoagulation, or vitrectomy in severe cases. However, treatment may require multiple modalities or repeat treatments due to variable response. Though DR management has achieved great success, improved, long-lasting, and predictable treatments are needed, including new biomarkers and therapeutic approaches. Small-leucine rich proteoglycans, such as decorin, constitute an integral component of retinal endothelial ECM. Therefore, any damage to microvasculature can trigger its antifibrotic and antiangiogenic response against retinal vascular pathologies, including DR. We conducted a cross-sectional study to examine the association between aqueous humor (AH) decorin levels, if any, and severity of DR. A total of 82 subjects (26 control, 56 DR) were recruited. AH was collected and decorin concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Decorin was significantly increased in the AH of DR subjects compared to controls (p = 0.0034). AH decorin levels were increased in severe DR groups in ETDRS and Gloucestershire classifications. Decorin concentrations also displayed a significant association with visual acuity (LogMAR) measurements. In conclusion, aqueous humor decorin concentrations were found elevated in DR subjects, possibly due to a compensatory response to the retinal microvascular changes during hyperglycemia.

Multimodal imaging of an idiopathic florid vascularised epiretinal membrane: Course, treatment, and outcome.

Idiopathic vascular epiretinal membrane is an extremely rare entity and the pathogenesis and clinical course is not clearly understood. A 53-year-old hypertensive female patient presented with complaints of altered vision in the right eye. On examination, her vision was 20/30 and fundoscopy showed a vascularized epiretinal membrane (ERM), which was confirmed on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. No primary cause was found after investigations. The symptoms and ERM showed slow progression over the next three years with a visual acuity of 20/60. She underwent surgery for removal of the ERM, which was subjected to histopathological evaluation. This is a unique case of a florid proliferative vascularisation of an ERM in the absence of any identifiable cause, which had a good visual outcome following surgery.

Retinal structural-vascular-functional relationship using optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography - angiography in myopia.

BACKGROUND: To examine the retinal structure-vascular-function relationship using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in myopia. METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study comprising 86 eyes of 45 individuals with varying axial lengths and spherical equivalents and no posterior segment abnormalities. All eyes underwent optical coherence tomography with the Spectralis SD-OCT and OCTA with RTVue-XR Avanti; Optovue. Individual macular retinal layer thicknesses and flow areas and vessel densities were measured on OCT and OCTA, respectively. Linear correlations were made between the macular layer thicknesses, flow areas and vessel densities with axial length, spherical equivalent and visual acuity. RESULTS: The participants' mean ages were 33.34 ± 14.45 years, mean spherical equivalent refractions were - 7.17 ± 5.71 D and axial lengths were 25.95 ± 2.41 mm. There were significant positive correlations of foveal angle (r = 0.757, p = 0.001), inner retinal (r = 0.764, p = 0.001) and outer plexiform layer (r = 0.771, p = 0.001) thickness on OCT and vessel densities in deep capillary plexus (r = 0.313, p = 0.003) on OCTA with axial length and negative correlations with spherical equivalents and visual acuity. Significant negative correlations of outer nuclear layer (r = - 0.560, p = 0.03) and photoreceptor outer segment layer thickness (r = - 0.856, p < 0.001) were noted on OCT with axial length and positive correlations with spherical equivalents and visual acuity. CONCLUSION: The lateral retinal stretching in myopia could possibly explain the correlation between retinal layer thickness, vascular density and visual acuity in these eyes. Further research is required to investigate this.

An automated framework to quantify areas of regional ischemia in retinal vascular diseases with OCT angiography.

In this observational and cross-sectional study, capillary nonperfusion (CNP) and vascular changes in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO, sample size [n] = 26) and choroidal neovascularization (CNV, n = 29) were evaluated. Subjects underwent imaging using Optical coherence tomography angiography (Angiovue OCTA, RTVue XR, Optovue Inc., Fremont, California). Local fractal analysis was applied to the OCTA images of superficial, deep and choriocapillaris layer. CNP area (BRVO eyes) and vascular parameters were computed using local fractal-based method. Sensitivity and specificity of vascular parameters were assessed with receiver operating characteristics curve. Automated CNP area showed excellent agreement with manually quantified CNP areas in both superficial (intraclass coefficient [ICC] = 0.96) and deep (ICC = 0.96) layers. BRVO eyes showed significantly altered (P < .05) vascular parameters in both superficial and deep layer as compared to normal eyes (n = 30). CNVM eyes had significantly higher capillary free zones (P < .001) as compared to normal eyes. In normal vs BRVO eyes, vessel density and spacing between the large vessels had similar area under the curve (AUC) (P > .05) in both superficial (0.97 and 0.97, respectively) and deep layer (0.99 and 0.98, respectively). Further, capillary free zones showed high AUC (0.92) in differentiating CNV eyes from normal eyes.

Linking Retinal Microvasculature Features With Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

PURPOSE: To correlate retinal vascular features with severity and systemic indicators of diabetic retinopathy (DR) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: A total of 209 eyes of 122 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with DR and 60 eyes of 31 normal Indian subjects underwent OCTA imaging. The diabetic retinopathy patients were graded as having either nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR: mild, moderate, and severe NPDR using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study classification) or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Local fractal analysis was applied to the superficial and deep retinal OCTA images. Foveal avascular zone area (FAZ in mm2); vessel density (%); spacing between large vessels (%); and spacing between small vessels (%) were analyzed. Sensitivity and specificity of vascular parameters were assessed with receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. RESULTS: Normal eyes had a significantly lower FAZ area, higher vessel density, and lower spacing between large and small vessels compared with DR grades (P < 0.001). In the superficial layer, PDR and severe NPDR had higher spacing between large vessels than mild and moderate NPDR (P = 0.04). However, mild NPDR had higher spacing between the small vessels (P < 0.001). Spacing between the large vessels in the superficial retinal layer correlated positively with HbA1c (r = 0.25, P = 0.03); fasting (r = 0.23, P = 0.02); and postprandial (r = 0.26, P = 0.03) blood sugar. The same spacing in the deep retinal vascular plexus had the highest area under the ROC curve (0.99 ± 0.01) and was uniformly elevated in all diabetic eyes (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Spacing between the large vessels in the superficial and deep retinal layers had superior diagnostic performance than overall vessel density.

Characteristics and quantification of vascular changes in macular telangiectasia type 2 on optical coherence tomography angiography.

BACKGROUND: Macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel 2) is a bilateral idiopathic, rare neurodegenerative disease with alterations in the macular capillary network leading to vision loss and is the most common of three subtypes. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive imaging modality which helps understand the complex pathological changes, and images the blood vessels across different layers based on their flow characteristics. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 56 eyes of Asian Indian eyes of 28 consecutive patients with MacTel 2 studied during a 3-month period in a tertiary eye care hospital of South India. Clinically diagnosed cases of MacTel 2 underwent fundus photography, spectral domain OCT and OCTA. Fluorescein angiography was performed only when clinically indicated. Mean capillary density was calculated using a MATLAB-based automated software. The images were thresholded and binarised to derive the mean value. RESULTS: The mean age at presentation was 60±5.2, with a female preponderance of 71.42%. Vascular network on OCTA shows an increase in the intervascular spaces with progressive capillary rarefaction and abnormal capillary anastomosis. The outer retina and choroid were involved during the later stages and showed a prominent vascular network. The mean capillary density of the superficial and deep layers was 39.99% and 39.03% as against 45.18% and 44.21% in the controls, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p<0.01). There is a positive and statistically significant correlation between the superficial and deep layers. CONCLUSION: OCTA helps understand the pathology and disease progression better in MacTel 2.

Quantification of Vessel Density in Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Images Using Local Fractal Dimension.

PURPOSE: To evaluate a fully automated local fractal dimension method to quantify vessel density and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images. METHODS: Fifty-two healthy Asian Indian eyes underwent imaging prospectively with OCTA system. Superficial and deep retinal vascular plexus was imaged. Local fractal analysis was applied to the OCTA images. A scan area of 3 × 3 mm was selected in the superficial and deep retinal layers. Foveal avascular zone area and vessel density were quantified in circular and sectoral zones around the fovea. A unique contour map of vessel density and dropout zones was developed to perform regional comparisons. RESULTS: Foveal avascular zone of superficial (0.35 ± 0.013 mm2) and deep (0.49 ± 0.012 mm2) retinal vascular plexus was segmented. The agreement between the manually segmented and local fractal dimension segmented FAZ area was 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94-0.98) and did not change significantly with age (P = 0.94 and 0.21, respectively). The vessel density was greater in the deep than the superficial retinal vascular plexus (P < 0.0001). When the image was subdivided into sectors around the FAZ, inferior sector had greater vessel density than the others (temporal, superior, and nasal) in both superficial and deep retinal vascular plexus (P < 0.05). These observations were similar to recent studies on animal retinal vasculature map. CONCLUSIONS: A novel implementation of local fractal dimension to calculate vessel density and FAZ area was demonstrated. Age did not impact vessel density but sectoral analyses showed greater vessel density in the inferior zone.