Long-term Impact of Carotid Endarterectomy on Choroidal and Choriocapillaris Perfusion: The INFLATE Study.

PURPOSE

When performed for clinically significant carotid artery stenosis (CAS), the long-term impact of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) on choroidal and choriocapillaris (CC) circulation was studied using swept-source OCT angiography.

DESIGN

Prospective observational study.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients with clinically significant CAS undergoing unilateral CEA.

METHODS

Swept-source OCT angiography scans were performed on both eyes at baseline (before CEA), within 1 week post-CEA (short-term follow-up [FU]), and ≥30 days post-CEA (long-term FU). Using validated algorithms, we measured mean choroidal thickness (MCT), choroidal vascularity index (CVI), choroidal vessel volume (CVV), CC flow deficit percentage (CC FD%), and CC thickness within the 5-mm circle centered on the fovea for both the eye ipsilateral to CEA (surgical side) and the contralateral eye (nonsurgical side). Multivariable regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of baseline demographic and clinical factors on the changes in choroidal and CC parameters.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Both the short- and long-term changes in MCT, CVI, CVV, CC FD%, and CC thickness.

RESULTS

The study included 58 eyes from 29 patients. Significant short-term improvements in MCT ( < 0.001) and CC thickness ( = 0.006) were observed post-CEA on the surgical side. Long-term FU showed sustained increases in MCT compared with baseline ( = 0.02), while CC thickness was not significantly different from baseline ( = 0.10). The CVI did not change significantly from baseline at either short-term ( = 0.45) or long-term ( = 0.22) FU on the surgical side. While CVV demonstrated a short-term rise immediately post-CEA ( < 0.001), the difference was not statistically significant at the long-term evaluation ( = 0.06). No significant improvement in CC FD% from baseline was observed at any visit post-CEA (short-term  = 0.81, long-term  = 0.91). The nonsurgical side only showed a significant reduction in CVI at the long-term FU visit compared with before CEA ( = 0.01). Clinical variables such as age, degree of stenosis, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking status did not greatly impact the outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Unilateral CEA demonstrated a sustained increase in MCT, suggesting persistent improvements in choroidal perfusion in the ipsilateral eye.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.