title: Choroid, Haller's, and Sattler's layer thickness in intermediate age-related macular degeneration with and without fellow neovascular eyes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze choroidal, Sattler's, and Haller's layer thickness maps in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients having eyes with bilateral large drusen and pigment changes (intermediate AMD), in patients having intermediate AMD eyes with neovascular fellow eyes (nAMD), and in healthy subjects using three-dimensional (3D) 1060-nm optical coherence tomography (OCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Automatically generated choroidal thickness (ChT), retinal thickness, and Sattler's and Haller's layer thickness maps were statistically analyzed in 67 subjects consisting of intermediate AMD (n = 21), intermediate AMD (n = 22) with fellow nAMD eyes (n = 22), and healthy eyes (n = 24) with no age and axial eye length difference between groups of eyes (P > 0.05, ANOVA). Eyes were imaged by a prototype high-speed (60,000 A-scans/s) spectral-domain 3D 1060-nm OCT over a 36° × 36° field of view.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ± SD (μm) subfoveal ChT for healthy subjects and for bilateral intermediate AMD, unilateral intermediate AMD, and their nAMD fellow eyes was 259 ± 95 and 222 ± 98, 149 ± 60, and 171 ± 78, respectively. Choroidal thickness maps demonstrated significant submacular thinning in unilateral intermediate AMD in comparison to healthy and bilateral intermediate AMD eyes (P < 0.001, ANOVA, post hoc P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). Sattler's and Haller's layers were thinnest in intermediate AMDs that presented with nAMD fellow eyes (Kruskal-Wallis test P < 0.01). For the choroid and its sublayers, there was no difference between the intermediate AMD eyes and their fellow nAMD eyes (paired testing, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 3D 1060-nm OCT choroidal imaging visualized significant changes in choroidal, Sattler's, and Haller's layer thickness in relation to the progression of AMD. This may be important for understanding the choroidopathy in the pathophysiology of AMD.
authors: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Retinology and Biomicroscopic Laser Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology, Rudolf Foundation Clinic, Vienna, Austria Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Marieh
authors: M
authors: Esmaeelpour
authors: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Retinology and Biomicroscopic Laser Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology, Rudolf Foundation Clinic, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Siamak
authors: S
authors: Ansari-Shahrezaei
authors: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Retinology and Biomicroscopic Laser Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology, Rudolf Foundation Clinic, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Carl
authors: C
authors: Glittenberg
authors: Optik Nemetz, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Nemetz
authors: Pattern Recognition Lab and School of Advanced Optical Technologies, University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors: Martin F
authors: MF
authors: Kraus
authors: Pattern Recognition Lab and School of Advanced Optical Technologies, University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors: Joachim
authors: J
authors: Hornegger
authors: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.
authors: James G
authors: JG
authors: Fujimoto
authors: Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Drexler
authors: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Retinology and Biomicroscopic Laser Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology, Rudolf Foundation Clinic, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Binder
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002829:Choroid / Q000473:pathology*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*
keywords: age-related macular degeneration; choroid; choroidal thickness maps; optical coherence tomography; retina