title: Morphologic characteristics of idiopathic juxtafoveal telangiectasia using spectral-domain and polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Idiopathic juxtafoveal telangiectasia (IJT) is characteristically associated with pigmentary changes. Polarization-sensitive spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (PS-SD-OCT) enables imaging of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and similar melanin-containing structures based on specific polarization properties. This study examined IJT with the latest-generation SD-OCT and PS-SD-OCT, identifying pathophysiologically relevant characteristics of the retinal layers and RPE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two eyes of 12 patients with IJT were examined by PS-SD-OCT, with special focus on RPE detection and segmentation. Furthermore, SD-OCT technology (Cirrus, Spectralis, and 3D-OCT-1000) was applied. Characteristics of the retinal layers and RPE were evaluated. A classification system based on OCT characteristics of IJT was suggested.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Polarization-sensitive spectral-domain optical coherence tomography together with SD-OCT identified characteristic patterns of IJT, used to classify eyes into three distinct groups. Group 1 (5 eyes) revealed discrete alterations in the inner retinal layers; group 2 (12 eyes) showed irregularities of the junction between the inner and outer photoreceptor segments with outer retinal atrophy but an intact RPE. Group 3 (5 eyes) revealed RPE irregularities and loss in addition to intraretinal alterations and photoreceptor abnormalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study described characteristic morphologic changes in IJT based on PS-SD-OCT and SD-OCT. Morphologic changes were classified, possibly leading to an OCT-based grading scheme. The intensity images of SD-OCT verified intraretinal and photoreceptor irregularities in great detail, whereas PS-SD-OCT additionally showed RPE alterations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schütze
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahlers
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pircher
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baumann
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Götzinger
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prager
authors.forename: Gerlinde
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Matt
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sacu
authors.forename: Christoph K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Hitzenberger
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Erfurth
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000473:pathology*; D058456:Retinal Telangiectasis / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology