Assessment of retinal vessel density in adult-onset foveomacular vitelliform dystrophy by optical coherence tomography angiography.

BACKGROUND

To evaluate retinal thickness, area of foveal avascular zone (FAZ), flow area and flow density of choriocapillaris, vessel density of both superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) of eyes with adult-onset foveomacular vitelliform dystrophy (AOFVD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) and compare the results with healthy controls.

METHODS

17 eyes of 14 patients diagnosed with AOFVD and 17 eyes of 17 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination and a 6 x 6 mm macular OCT-A scanning. Quantiative results of retinal thickness, retinal vessel density of SCP and DCP, FAZ area, flow area and flow density of choriocapillaris were analyzed.

RESULTS

No statistically significant differences were noted in the vessel density of the SCP, except for the parafoveal nasal sector (P = 0.048). Similarly, no statistically significant differences were observed in the vessel density of the DCP, except for the parafoveal (P = 0.037) and the parafoveal temporal (P = 0.048) sectors. The choriocapillaris flow area and the flow density were significantly lower in the patients with AOFVD than in the healthy controls (P = 0.001 for both). The mean FAZ area and the retinal thickness measurements were comparable in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with AOFVD show vascular abnormalities that can be detected with OCT-A. OCT-A, as a noninvasive imaging modality, could provide a new perspective for understanding the pathophysiology of AOFVD and could also be useful in the follow-up of these patients and in the management of the disease progression.