title: Assessment of perfused foveal microvascular density and identification of nonperfused capillaries in healthy and vasculopathic eyes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the foveal microvasculature of young healthy eyes and older vasculopathic eyes, imaged using in vivo adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope fluorescein angiography (AOSLO FA).
  
  
  METHODS
  AOSLO FA imaging of the superficial retinal microvasculature within an 800-μm radius from the foveal center was performed using simultaneous confocal infrared (IR) reflectance (790 nm) and fluorescence (488 nm) channels. Corresponding IR structural and FA perfusion maps were compared with each other to identify nonperfused capillaries adjacent to the foveal avascular zone. Microvascular densities were calculated from skeletonized FA perfusion maps.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen healthy adults (26 eyes; mean age 25 years, range, 21-29) and six patients with a retinal vasculopathy (six eyes; mean age 55 years, range, 44-70) were imaged. At least one nonperfused capillary was observed in five of the 16 healthy nonfellow eyes and in four of the six vasculopathic eyes. Compared with healthy eyes, capillary nonperfusion in the vasculopathic eyes was more extensive. Microvascular density of the 16 healthy nonfellow eyes was 42.0 ± 4.2 mm(-1) (range, 33-50 mm(-1)). All six vasculopathic eyes had decreased microvascular densities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AOSLO FA provides an in vivo method for estimating foveal microvascular density and reveals occult nonperfused retinal capillaries. Nonperfused capillaries in healthy young adults may represent a normal variation and/or an early sign of pathology. Although limited, the normative data presented here is a step toward developing clinically useful microvascular parameters for ocular and/or systemic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pinhas
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: Moataz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Razeen
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dubow
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Toco Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chui
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Nishit
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Mitul
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States Department of Ophthalmology, Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Ronald C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Rishard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Joseph B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Yusufu N
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Sulai
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dubra
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Rosen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002196:Capillaries / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography / Q000379:methods; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy / Q000379:methods; D055420:Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adaptive optics; fluorescein angiography; image analysis; retinal microvasculature; scanning light ophthalmoscopy